The global diversity and decline of glacier animals
Abstract
Glacier environments host an unrecognized number of animals that are at high risk of extinction due to global warming. Yet, the absence of comprehensive analyses has hampered the development of a coordinated agenda for research and conservation. By assembling a global dataset of terrestrial and freshwater animals in glacial habitats, we show that glacier environments host at least 152 animal species from 14 classes and 7 phyla. This diversity is underestimated for nearly all the groups and we detected widespread taxonomical, ecological, and geographical biases. Glacier animals exhibited diverse ecological patterns, with 73 species reported exclusively from glacial habitats (glacier specialists). Biogeographical patterns showed clear differences between groups, with some taxa (tardigrades, rotifers) found mostly in polar areas and others (insects, springtails) associated with tropical and temperate mountains. Glacier regions with a lower temperature showed a higher richness of glacier specialists. Glacier animals were widespread across the metazoan tree of life; the ability to disperse passively by wind emerged as the strongest driver of the occurrence of glacier animals. By linking the distribution of glacier specialists to scenarios of glacier retreat, we identified areas and species that are likely to experience abrupt declines in the next few decades, as well as species that could face complete habitat loss. Our results call for urgent actions to secure the future of glacier environments and their singular, understudied fauna.
Article Details
Journal Info
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
National Academy of Sciences
Authors (24)
Andrea Simoncini
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan
Isabel Cantera
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan
Simone Giachello
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan
Barbara Valle
Department of Life Sciences, University of Siena
Mauro Gobbi
Research and Museum Collections Office, Climate and Ecology Unit, MUSE - Science Museum
Diego Fontaneto
National Biodiversity Future Center
Krzysztof Zawierucha
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University
Ronald Laniecki
Department of Animal Taxonomy and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University
Stephen James Coulson
Department of Arctic Biology, The University Centre in Svalbard, Longyearbyen
Valeria Lencioni
Research and Museum Collections Office, Climate and Ecology Unit, MUSE - Science Museum
Sophie Cauvy-Fraunié
French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment, Unité de Recherche RiverLy, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne
Alejandra Morán Ordóñez
Department of Environmental Sciences, Landscape Ecology and Ecosystems Conservation unit, University of Basel
Gianalberto Losapio
Faculty of Geosciences and Environment, Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, University of Lausanne
Nozomu Takeuchi
Department of Earth Sciences, Center for Environmental Remote Sensing, Chiba University
Qiao Liu
Daniel H. Shain
Biology Department, Rutgers The State University of New Jersey
Heather Fair
Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Karel Janko
Laboratory of Non-Mendelian Evolution, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics AS CR
Miloslav Devetter
Institute of Soil Biology and Biogeochemistry, Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Marco Antonio Jiménez-Santos
Laboratory of Non-Mendelian Evolution, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics AS CR
Marie Šabacká
Department of Ecology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Charles University in Prague
Mattia Falaschi
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan
Silvio Marta
Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources, Italian National Research Council
Gentile Francesco Ficetola
Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan