Life in Glaciers
I am happy to share a recently published paper in PNAS in which I participated as a co-author:
The global diversity and decline of glacier animals
This collaborative work provides a global synthesis of the animal diversity associated with glacier environments. One of its main messages is simple but powerful: glaciers are not empty frozen landscapes. They are living ecosystems that host a unique and still underappreciated fauna.
The study reports at least 152 animal species from glacier environments, across 14 classes and 7 phyla, including 73 species known only from glacial habitats. Among these organisms are rotifers, tardigrades, springtails, nematodes, insects, annelids, and other small invertebrates living in habitats such as cryoconite holes, surface ice, snow/firn, meltwater channels, supraglacial debris, and glacier mice.
For me, it is especially meaningful that this paper helps bring more visibility to small invertebrates, including rotifers, in biodiversity research, conservation, and science communication. These organisms are often overlooked, yet they are part of the biological identity of glacier ecosystems.
The paper also highlights an important conservation concern: as glaciers retreat, many glacier specialists may face severe habitat loss during this century.
I am grateful to the leading authors and all collaborators for the extensive work behind this study, and I am glad to have contributed to this collective effort.
Paper in PNAS: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2514455123
Paper in ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/407109925_The_global_diversity_and_decline_of_glacier_animals