Researchers report that although the loss of glaciers worldwide endangers the biodiversity of mountain ecosystems through the loss of specialized melt-water communities, biological and glacier retreat data from Glacier National Park from 1850 through 2015 suggest that a specialized cold-water invertebrate community has persisted through time, even in areas that were deglaciated more than 150 years ago; the results suggest that high-altitude streams and snow-fed water sources may serve as refuges for mountain biodiversity, according to the authors.
Article #20-01697: "Specialized meltwater biodiversity persists despite widespread deglaciation," by Clint C. Muhlfeld et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Clint C. Muhlfeld, United States Geological Survey, West Glacier, MT; e-mail: cmuhlfeld@usgs.gov
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences