Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation
Glaciers are important drivers of environmental heterogeneity and biological diversity across mountain landscapes. Worldwide, glaciers are receding rapidly due to climate change, with important consequences for biodiversity in mountain ecosystems. However, the effects of glacier loss on biodiversity have never been quantified across a mountainous region, primarily due to a lack of adequate data at large spatial and temporal scales. Here, we combine high-resolution biological and glacier change (ca. 1850–2015) datasets for Glacier National Park, USA, to test the prediction that glacier retreat reduces biodiversity in mountain ecosystems through the loss of uniquely adapted meltwater stream species. We identified a specialized cold-water invertebrate community restricted to the highest elevation streams primarily below glaciers, but also snowfields and groundwater springs. We show that this community and endemic species have unexpectedly persisted in cold, high-elevation sites, even in catchments that have not been glaciated in ∼170 y. Future projections suggest substantial declines in suitable habitat, but not necessarily loss of this community with the complete disappearance of glaciers. Our findings demonstrate that high-elevation streams fed by snow and other cold-water sources continue to serve as critical climate refugia for mountain biodiversity even after glaciers disappear.
Citation Information
| Publication Year | 2020 |
|---|---|
| Title | Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation |
| DOI | 10.1073/pnas.2001697117 |
| Authors | Clint C. Muhlfeld, Timothy Joseph Cline, J. Joseph Giersch, Erich Peitzsch, Caitlyn Florentine, Dean Jacobsen, Scott Hotaling |
| Publication Type | Article |
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Series Title | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |
| Index ID | 70211000 |
| Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |
| USGS Organization | Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center |
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This data release incorporates high-resolution geospatial and biological data and accompanies a peer-reviewed manuscript "Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation". In this study, we tested the prediction that glacier retreat reduces biodiversity in mountain ecosystems through the loss of uniquely adapted meltwater stream species in Glacier National Park, USA. Th - Connect
Clint Muhlfeld, Ph.D.
Research EcologistEmailPhoneJoe Giersch (Former Employee)
Aquatic EntomologistErich Peitzsch, Ph.D
Research Physical ScientistEmailPhoneCaitlyn Florentine, Ph.D.
Research Physical ScientistEmailPhone