Alpine alluvial fans function as sediment storage, hydrological buffer and provide habitats for rare specialist species. Located in the headwaters of Alpine Rivers they host the source populations of a number of Alpine River specialist plant species. As such, they contribute significantly to the vegetation of Alpine rivers.

The dynamics and spread of these specialized plant species are strongly influenced by the alluvial fans‘ sediment dynamics and hydrology.

In the Friedergries nature reserve in the Ammergau Alps, Bavaria (47.490693, 10.950711), and various Alpine alluvial fans in Friuli, Italy, we are investigating succession processes and the population dynamics of Chondrilla chondrilloides, a species typical of alpine alluvial fans.

Literatur

Woellner, R., Bräuchler, C., Kollmann, J., & Wagner, T. C. (2022). Biological Flora of Central Europe: Chondrilla chondrilloides (Ard.) H. Karst. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 54, 125657.

Wagner, T. C., & Zehm, A. (2022). Das Friedergries–Sukzessionskomplex eines alpinen Dolomit-Schwemmfächers. Tuexenia Beiheft 14: 25–46. Freising.

Woellner, R., & Wagner, T. C. (2019). Saving species, time and money: Application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for monitoring of an endangered alpine river specialist in a small nature reserve. Biological conservation, 233, 162-175.

Woellner, R., Kollmann, J., Zehm, A., & Wagner, T. C. (2019). Gute Aussichten für den Alpen-Knorpellattich in Deutschland? Erste Ergebnisse von Monitoring und Wiederansiedlung lassen hoffen. ANLiegen Natur, 42(1), 4.