Overlooked animals vital for alpine ecosystems could lose most of their habitat and disappear, research suggests.
Invertebrates living in the cool meltwater rivers of the European Alps could lose most of their habitat and disappear, as the mountain range’s glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, according to a study.
Although they are often overlooked, these animals are crucial for alpine ecosystems.
Researchers focused on the mountain range of the Alps and collated data from 30 years of studies on the rate at which its glaciers are melting, and how that affects the area’s river flows over time. They homed in on how past changes affected the populations of 15 species of invertebrates such as midges and stoneflies that are specialised at living in those waters.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...aten-biodiversity-of-invertebrates-says-study
Invertebrates living in the cool meltwater rivers of the European Alps could lose most of their habitat and disappear, as the mountain range’s glaciers melt at an unprecedented rate due to climate change, according to a study.
Although they are often overlooked, these animals are crucial for alpine ecosystems.
Researchers focused on the mountain range of the Alps and collated data from 30 years of studies on the rate at which its glaciers are melting, and how that affects the area’s river flows over time. They homed in on how past changes affected the populations of 15 species of invertebrates such as midges and stoneflies that are specialised at living in those waters.
https://amp-theguardian-com.cdn.amp...aten-biodiversity-of-invertebrates-says-study