Changes in phosphorus and nitrogen availability on recessional moraines of the Athabasca Glacier, Alberta

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Abstract
Soil pH and concentrations of N and P in leaves of Dryas drummondii were measured on recessional moraines of the Athabasca Glacier, Alberta. Soil pH declined by 0.5 units per 100 years under Dryas but remained steady on bare ground. Water-soluble N and P levels in soil remained low at all stages, but N was higher under Dryas patches. Leaf P and N declined in the early stages of succession but increased later. This increase may represent the initiation of biotic N and P cycles in soil. These patterns contrast with those reported for other moraine successions.
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