Assessing distribution shifts and ecophysiological characteristics of the only Antarctic winged midge under climate change scenarios.

ABSTRACT: Parts of Antarctica were amongst the most rapidly changing regions of the planet during the second half of the Twentieth Century. Even so, today, most of Antarctica remains in the grip of continental ice sheets, with only about 0.2% of its overall area being ice-free. The continent's terrestrial fauna consists only of invertebrates, with just two native species of insects, the chironomid midges Parochlus steinenii and Belgica antarctica. We integrate ecophysiological information with the development of new high-resolution climatic layers for Antarctica, to better understand how the distribution of P. steinenii may respond to change over the next century under different IPCC climate change scenarios. We conclude that the species has the potential to expand its distribution to include parts

SUBMITTER: Contador T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7270094 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature