Glacier retreat triggers changes in biodiversity and plant-pollinator interaction diversity.

ABSTRACT: Due to global warming, the worldwide retreat of glaciers is causing changes in species diversity, community composition, and species interactions. However, the impact of glacier retreat on interaction diversity and ecological networks remains poorly understood. An integrative understanding of network dynamics may inform conservation actions that support biodiversity and ecosystem functioning after glacier extinction. Here, we address how glacier retreat affects the frequency, diversity, and complexity of plant-pollinator interactions, both directly and indirectly through biodiversity change. We surveyed flower visitors (pollinators) and analyzed pollination networks across a gradient of 170 years of glacier retreat (Mont Miné glacier, Valais, Switzerland) which ranges from patchy grassland

SUBMITTER: Tu BN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11607045 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature