Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hyeryeon Gyeong, Chang-Uk Hyun, Seok Cheol Kim, Binu Mani Tripathi, Jeongeun Yun, Jinhyun Kim, Hojeong Kang, Ji Hee Kim, Sanghee Kim, Mincheol Kim
Summary: The study found that bacterial communities in recently deglaciated soils respond more rapidly to glacial retreat, while the succession dynamics of fungal communities are largely governed by stochastic processes.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Pedro Rosero, Veronica Crespo-Perez, Rodrigo Espinosa, Patricio Andino, Alvaro Barragan, Pierre Moret, Mauro Gobbi, Gentile Francesco Ficetola, Ricardo Jaramillo, Priscilla Muriel, Fabien Anthelme, Dean Jacobsen, Olivier Dangles, Thomas Condom, Ludovic Gielly, Jerome Poulenard, Antoine Rabatel, Ruben Basantes, Bolivar Caceres Correa, Sophie Cauvy-Fraunie
Summary: The study found that in the equatorial glacier foreland, species diversity increased with time, especially among passive dispersers, suggesting that dispersal was a key driver in glacier foreland succession.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Siddarthan Venkatachalam, Vatharamattathil Mohanan Kannan, Vadakke Neelamanakesavan Saritha, Dinesh Sanka Loganathachetti, Mahesh Mohan, Kottekkatu Padinchati Krishnan
Summary: The study investigated the bacterial diversity and community structure of the Midtre Love?nbreen glacier foreland ecosystem, revealing significant differences in bacterial diversity and distribution between samples from different deglaciation periods. 121 Operational Taxonomic Units were identified as contributing to the differences in community diversity between groups. Environmental variables such as pH, Cr, Cd, and Ca significantly influenced the differences in bacterial community structure.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Konrad Greinwald, Alessandra Musso, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Markus Weiler, Markus Egli
Summary: Climate change accelerates glacial retreat and provides an opportunity to study the temporal development of ecosystems. This study analyzed long-term data and found that carbon and nitrogen nutrient pools increased rapidly over time, while potassium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus nutrient pools decreased. The availability of phosphorus also varied between different types of soil.
Article
Ecology
Katharina Ramskogler, Bettina Knoflach, Bernhard Elsner, Brigitta Erschbamer, Florian Haas, Tobias Heckmann, Florentin Hofmeister, Livia Piermattei, Camillo Ressl, Svenja Trautmann, Michael H. Wimmer, Clemens Geitner, Johann Stoetter, Erich Tasser
Summary: Climate change and glacier retreat have significant impacts on proglacial systems and plant colonization in these ecosystems. This study investigated the influence of various factors on primary succession of vegetation in proglacial areas of the Italian Alps. By analyzing multiple explanatory variables, such as elevation, solar radiation, soil chemistry, soil physics, and landforms, the study found that these factors played a crucial role in primary succession patterns. The results provide a basis for understanding future vegetation development in a changing climate.
Article
Plant Sciences
Franciska T. de Vries, Cecile Thion, Michael Bahn, Benoit Bergk Pinto, Sebastien Cecillon, Beat Frey, Helen Grant, Graeme W. Nicol, Wolfgang Wanek, James I. Prosser, Richard D. Bardgett
Summary: Human activities have increased the amount of reactive nitrogen in the biosphere, leading to increased nitrogen inputs in terrestrial ecosystems. Plant and microbial controls on the retention of added nitrogen remain elusive, with plant and microbial properties playing a significant role in the uptake and retention of nitrogen in glacier forelands. Understanding these fundamental controls is crucial for predicting and mitigating the impacts of reactive nitrogen on terrestrial ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Miloslav Devetter, Ladislav Hanel, Natalia Raschmanova, Michala Bryndova, Jiri Schlaghamersky
Summary: The recent deglaciation in large polar areas has allowed for spontaneous primary succession to occur, with the soil biota participating in soil formation. The study of soil fauna on Svalbard in the High Arctic revealed a progressive addition of species during soil development, with pioneer species remaining present throughout. The assemblages of soil animals were mainly influenced by the age of the plot, association with specific transects, and nutrient availability.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Valeria Lencioni, Mauro Gobbi
Summary: Researchers are collaborating to understand the impact of global warming on alpine insect populations and habitats. The collection of specimens helps study changes in community structure, but intensive sampling may have negative consequences on insect populations.
INSECT CONSERVATION AND DIVERSITY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xinshu Zhu, Yongcui Deng, Marcela Hernandez, Jie Fang, Peng Xing, Yongqin Liu
Summary: This study found that methane consumers in glacier foreland soils play a crucial role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. However, the transformation of some foreland meadows into swamp meadows due to global warming and increased glacier meltwater can affect the methane consumption function of these soils. Experiment results showed that different types of soils had different responses to changes in soil moisture, leading to variations in their methane oxidation potentials. Saturated hummock soils exhibited the highest methane oxidation potential, while submerged hollow soils had the lowest.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Tingting Xing, Pengfei Liu, Mukan Ji, Yongcui Deng, Keshao Liu, Wenqiang Wang, Yongqin Liu
Summary: Glacier foreland soils change from a methane sink to a methane source under the impact of glacial meltwater. The extent of methane flux depends on the activities of methanogenic archaea and methanotrophic bacteria. pH is dominant for methanogens, while both pH and moisture are not that strong for methanotrophs.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Jeongeun Yun, Yerang Yang, Xue Zhou, Jaehyun Lee, Jiwon Choi, Mincheol Kim, Hyeryeon Gyeong, Dominique Laffly, Hojeong Kang
Summary: Climate warming has accelerated deglaciation in the Svalbard high Arctic region, resulting in significant landscape transformations. This leads to the expansion of exposed soil surfaces, providing new habitats for plants and microorganisms and contributing to ecosystem succession. While there has been extensive research on the primary succession of plant communities following glacier retreat, microbial succession, particularly that of methanotrophs and methanogens, is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the abundance and diversity of methanotrophs and methanogens along a 100-year soil chronosequence in the forelands of inland and tidewater glaciers in Svalbard. Our findings revealed clear trends in the structure of methanotrophic communities during the deglaciation process in both glacier types, mediated by changes in soil physicochemical properties. These insights significantly contribute to our understanding of microbial dynamics during deglaciation and their implications for methane dynamics in the high Arctic.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shouqin Sun, Bin Ma, Genxu Wang, Xiangfeng Tan
Summary: Glacier retreat attracts global concerns and provides an opportunity to study soil and ecosystem development. This study deciphered the microbial taxonomic and functional compositions in the rhizosphere of pioneering plants, revealing the significant roles of nitrogen-cycling taxa and biogeochemical cycling genes in mediating rhizosphere soil-plant-microbiome interactions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Emily B. Graham, Joseph E. Knelman
Summary: Understanding the processes of microbial community assembly is crucial for comprehending the role of microorganisms in ecosystem restoration and for optimizing management strategies. Important factors to consider when evaluating microbial community structure in the context of ecosystem recovery include: variations in community assembly processes, linkages to ecosystem function, and measurable microbial community attributes.
Article
Microbiology
Eva Garcia-Lopez, Fatima Ruiz-Blas, Silvia Sanchez-Casanova, Sonia Pena Perez, Maria Luisa Martin-Cerezo, Cristina Cid
Summary: This study examines the microbial diversity and characteristics of bacterial communities in volcanic glaciers in Deception Island, Antarctica, and the Kamchatka peninsula. Various glacier environmental factors were considered, and a comparative analysis of the biogeochemical cycles involving these microbiomes was attempted.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Dariusz J. Gwiazdowicz, Dariusz Skarzynski, Laurence Fazan, Yann Fragniere, Dany Ghosn, Gregor Kozlowski, Robert Kuzminski, Ilektra Remoundou, Bogna Zawieja
Summary: Microarthropod assemblages associated with Zelkova abelicea in different localities on Crete were found to vary, with the most distinct characteristics observed at the Gerakari site on Mt. Kedros. The most numerous species were the collembolan Xenylla maritima, and a total of 19 previously unreported species were recorded.
Article
Entomology
Marco Bonelli, Elena Eustacchio, Daniele Avesani, Verner Michelsen, Mattia Falaschi, Marco Caccianiga, Mauro Gobbi, Morena Casartelli
Summary: This study characterized the flower visitor community on an early flowering high-altitude Alpine plant and investigated the effects of temperature, wind speed, and other variables on their activity. The results contribute to understanding the composition of flower-visiting arthropod communities and provide a foundation for evaluating the impact of climate change on these organisms in high-altitude environments during the early season.
Article
Geography, Physical
Barbara Valle, Michele di Musciano, Mauro Gobbi, Marco Bonelli, Enzo Colonnelli, Giulio Gardini, Massimo Migliorini, Paolo Pantini, Adriano Zanetti, Emanuele Berrilli, Anna Rita Frattaroli, Davide Fugazza, Anna Invernizzi, Marco Caccianiga
Summary: In the current phase of global warming, relict glacial areas are facing severe threats and have become hotspots for biodiversity and ecological conservation. This study investigated the biological communities hosted by Calderone Glacier, the last preserved glacier in the Apennines mountain chain, Italy. The findings revealed a diverse and unique biodiversity consisting of plants and arthropods, including new species.
Article
Ecology
R. Chirichella, E. Ricci, M. Armanini, M. Gobbi, A. Mustoni, M. Apollonio
Summary: This study investigated the small mammal community above the treeline in the Western Dolomites of the Italian Alps using live traps and camera trapping. The results showed that species richness was related to elevation, steepness, and vegetation cover, while the taxonomic distinctness of ground-dwelling arthropods indicated the importance of habitat complexity. The availability of shelters and underground burrows was also found to be crucial for the captured individuals. Additionally, the study detected a negative impact of sub-surface ground temperature on small mammal abundance, confirming their altitudinal shift due to ongoing climate change.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Barbara Valle, Mauro Gobbi, Marta Tognetti, Marina Serena Borgatti, Chiara Compostella, Paolo Pantini, Marco Caccianiga
Summary: We investigated the primary succession along glacier forelands in the Maritime Alps and compared them to those from the Central Alps. The Maritime glacier forelands showed higher values of species richness and turnover, contrary to our expectation. We propose that this is due to warmer temperatures along the Mediterranean glacier forelands, which promote faster species turnover. Furthermore, early and mid successional stages of the investigated glaciers are richer in cold-adapted and endemic species, highlighting the extinction risk faced by these species in the current climate phase. We also found that supraglacial debris on Maritime glaciers serves as a refugium for cold-adapted and hygrophilous plant and animal species, which are threatened by climate change and ecological succession in the adjacent forelands.
JOURNAL OF MOUNTAIN SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Alessia Guerrieri, Alexis Carteron, Aurelie Bonin, Silvio Marta, Roberto Ambrosini, Marco Caccianiga, Isabel Cantera, Chiara Compostella, Guglielmina Diolaiuti, Diego Fontaneto, Ludovic Gielly, Fabrizio Gili, Mauro Gobbi, Jerome Poulenard, Pierre Taberlet, Andrea Zerboni, Wilfried Thuiller, Gentile Francesco Ficetola
Summary: Due to glacier shrinkage, ice-free areas are expanding worldwide and being rapidly colonized by multiple lifeforms, making them important environments to study ecosystem development. This study used environmental DNA metabarcoding to examine whether community diversity and composition differ between surface and deep soils at various stages of development and across five Alpine glaciers. The results showed that taxonomic diversity increased with time since glacier retreat and soil evolution, and this pattern was consistent across different taxonomic groups and soil depths. The alpha-diversity of Eukaryota and Mycota was highest at the surface, and community composition was more influenced by time since glacier retreat than depth. Beta-diversity between surface and deep layers decreased with time, suggesting that the soil tends to homogenize over time. Bacteria and fungi were significant indicators of specific depths and/or soil development stages, indicating strong functional variation of microbial communities over time and depth. The complexity of community patterns highlights the importance of integrating information from multiple taxonomic groups to understand how communities respond to global changes.
Review
Ecology
Jeffrey A. Harvey, Kevin Tougeron, Rieta Gols, Robin Heinen, Mariana Abarca, Paul K. Abram, Yves Basset, Matty Berg, Carol Boggs, Jacques Brodeur, Pedro Cardoso, Jetske G. de Boer, Geert R. De Snoo, Charl Deacon, Jane E. Dell, Nicolas Desneux, Michael E. Dillon, Grant A. Duffy, Lee A. Dyer, Jacintha Ellers, Anahi Espindola, James Fordyce, Matthew L. Forister, Caroline Fukushima, Matthew J. G. Gage, Carlos Garcia-Robledo, Claire Gely, Mauro Gobbi, Caspar Hallmann, Thierry Hance, John Harte, Axel Hochkirch, Christian Hof, Ary A. Hoffmann, Joel G. Kingsolver, Greg P. A. Lamarre, William F. Laurance, Blas Lavandero, Simon R. Leather, Philipp Lehmann, Cecile Le Lann, Margarita M. Lopez-Uribe, Chun-Sen Ma, Gang Ma, Joffrey Moiroux, Lucie Monticelli, Chris Nice, Paul J. Ode, Sylvain Pincebourde, William J. Ripple, Melissah Rowe, Michael J. Samways, Arnaud Sentis, Alisha A. Shah, Nigel Stork, John S. Terblanche, Madhav P. Thakur, Matthew B. Thomas, Jason M. Tylianakis, Joan Van Baaren, Martijn Van de Pol, Wim H. Van der Putten, Hans Van Dyck, Wilco C. E. P. Verberk, David L. Wagner, Wolfgang W. Weisser, William C. Wetzel, H. Arthur Woods, Kris A. G. Wyckhuys, Steven L. Chown
Summary: Climate warming is a serious anthropogenic stress on the environment, exacerbating the harmful effects of other threats and potentially threatening species preservation and ecosystem services provided by biodiversity. Insects, as central components of many ecosystems, are highly affected by climate change, with effects on physiology, behavior, distribution, and interactions, as well as extreme events.
ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Daniel Gaudio, Mauro Gobbi
Summary: This article discusses the side effects of glacier melt from a biocultural standpoint, highlighting what we are losing culturally and naturally, but also emphasizing the potential gain from a deeper interdisciplinary understanding of glacial dynamics and their role in human society. It serves as a reminder that we are rapidly approaching our last chance to listen to the stories glaciers can teach us.
Article
Plant Sciences
Elena Eustacchio, Marco Bonelli, Mario Beretta, Irene Monti, Mauro Gobbi, Morena Casartelli, Marco Caccianiga
Summary: Androsace brevis is a narrow endemic plant in the Southern Central European Alps that blooms shortly after snowmelt and depends on insect-mediated pollination for successful reproduction. This study provides a detailed description of its pollen and floral morphology, indicating a generalist pollination strategy that allows high-altitude flower-visiting insects to reach both nectar and pollen. Understanding these traits is important for addressing potential threats, such as increasing temperature and mismatched pollinators, that this vulnerable species faces.
Article
Ecology
Barbara Valle, Mauro Gobbi, Mattia Brambilla, Marina Serena Borgatti, Marco Caccianiga
Summary: Springtails play a key role in glacial ecosystems and are important ecological indicators. However, an effective sampling protocol for springtail community in glacial lithosols is currently lacking. This study tested three sampling methods and found that a combination of pitfall trapping and flotation method had the best performance in terms of species and functional types recorded.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Silvio Marta, Anais Zimmer, Marco Caccianiga, Mauro Gobbi, Roberto Ambrosini, Roberto Sergio Azzoni, Fabrizio Gili, Francesca Pittino, Wilfried Thuiller, Antonello Provenzale, Gentile Francesco Ficetola
Summary: This study uses near-subsurface soil temperatures in 175 stations to generate high-resolution temperature reconstructions, assess spatial variability in microclimate change from 2001 to 2020, and estimate whether microclimate heterogeneity might buffer the severity of warming trends. The results show that areas nearby glaciers are warming faster than other mountain regions, and these effects are particularly rapid in tropical mountains.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Entomology
Simone Ornaghi, Barbara Valle, Marco Caccianiga, Roberto Seppi, Mauro Gobbi
Summary: This study analyzed the differences in sex-ratio and morphometric parameters of cold-adapted ground beetles to understand environmental heterogeneity in a periglacial region of the European Alps. The results showed that both species of beetles had sex-dependent morphometric plasticity and a female-biased sex-ratio. The presence of ice in the terrain affected certain morphometric traits, such as a decrease in head width and an increase in elytra width. These findings suggest that cold-adapted ground beetles may prefer ice-related landforms due to the better conditions they provide.
FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Valeria Lencioni, Cristiana Rizzi, Mauro Gobbi, Andrea Mustoni, Sara Villa
Summary: Pesticides, synthetic fragrances and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have contaminated glacier-fed streams and a spring in the Italian Alps, accumulating in aquatic larvae and carabids. The concentration of xenobiotics was higher in larvae than in water, indicating trophic transfer to riparian predators.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Davide Fugazza, Barbara Valle, Marco Stefano Caccianiga, Mauro Gobbi, Giacomo Traversa, Marta Tognetti, Guglielmina Adele Diolaiuti, Antonella Senese
Summary: Debris-covered glaciers are common around the world and accurately modeling their melt is important for various purposes. This study investigates the melt of Amola Glacier using an empirical approach based on meteorological and glaciological conditions, and provides a model for estimating the melt of debris-covered glaciers.
COLD REGIONS SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Riccardo Panza, Mauro Gobbi
Summary: Changes in the spatial distribution of cold-adapted species, driven by climate change, have been observed and studied. This research focused on the cold-adapted beetle Nebria germarii and found that its lower range limit has shifted upward by approximately 350 meters over the past 90 years. The species' distribution area has also been halved and fragmented, leading to its extinction in high alpine grasslands. Similar changes have been observed in other taxa and may result in the extinction of specialist taxa, especially endemics in mountain areas. The study highlights the importance of intensified research to monitor and mitigate biodiversity loss in Alpine ecosystems.
RENDICONTI LINCEI-SCIENZE FISICHE E NATURALI
(2022)