Distribution manner of plants along fumarole groups in Eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

The present study was conducted in two fumarole areas in eastern part of Hokkaido, northern Japan, to address a lack of knowledge about volcanic gas action that constrains the progress of succession. The number of species increased in proportion to the distance from fumaroles to adjacent forest zones. Indicator species were extracted using TWINSPAN. The indicator species were different between two topographically different study sites. This finding suggests that the sulfuric acid concentration in the soil varies depending not only on the distance from fumaroles but also on the elevation and this affects the plant distribution.