Comparative vegetation survey with focus on cryptogamic covers in the high Arctic along two differing catenas

Although cryptogamic covers are important ecosystem engineers in high Arctic tundra, they were often neglected in vegetation surveys. Hence we conducted a systematic survey of cryptogamic cover and vascular plant coverage and composition at two representative, but differing Arctic sites (Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard) along catenas with a natural soil moisture gradient, and integrated these data with physical–chemical soil properties. Soil samples were...