Cover | Ice Patches as Lifelines for Alpine Species
September Cover
Photo by Marco Caccianiga
Download the high-resolution image
Global warming is threatening the survival of cold-adapted Alpine species like Androsace alpina. Ice-related landforms like debris-covered glaciers may buffer such negative effects on species able to grow on them. The cover shows Androsace alpina from the Amola Glacier in the Italian Alps.
Read the open access paper in Ecography, by Gobbi et al. (2026): Global threats, local opportunities: ice-related landforms provide refugia for high-elevation plants and arthropods
From the abstract:
Ice-related landforms in mountain areas have been hypothesized to play a key role in the survival of cold-adapted species threatened by climate change. However, our understanding of such landforms acting as refugia remains speculative.
Here we analyse occurrence data, collected through a standardized sampling at 471 sampling points across the European Alps in relation to landform type and other environmental predictors, to identify the drivers of local presence for 209 high-elevation plant and arthropod species. Forty-three species show a negative response to temperature; the occurrence of debris-covered glaciers and rock glaciers weakens the negative relationship with temperature of nine of them (21%).
This finding highlights the role of ice-related landforms for the survival of an important fraction of species threatened by climate change, although their role is taxon-related, being maximum for carabid beetles and not observed for spiders. Fine-scale landscape heterogeneity therefore plays a key role in mediating species responses to climate change. By integrating ecological and geographic perspectives, this study provides a framework for identifying refugia and assessing their biodiversity to target conservation measures for mountain areas worldwide.
Ecography—who are we?
ECOGRAPHY: A Journal of Space and Time in Ecology is an Open Access journal owned by the Nordic Society Oikos.
Our journal strives to understand ecological or biodiversity patterns through space and time. We encourage papers to advance the field of macroecology and biogeography through the development and testing of theory or modern methodology (remote sensing, molecular techniques, AI) or by proposing new tools for analysis or interpretation of ecological phenomena. There are no biases with regard to taxon, biome, or biogeographical area.
Thinking about publishing with us?
Ecography offers an annual E4 Award for early-career researchers
We value ethical standards in science (EDI, Open Access, waivers, accessible data and code, CRediT)
Check out Ecography’s journal metrics and see our Author Guidelines
Our journals, our society—join us!
The Nordic Society Oikos engages the global scientific community through five international journals…
…and supports the national ecological societies of the five Nordic countries. Anyone worldwide can join the Nordic Society Oikos.
NSO is a home for ecologists, a nexus for knowledge, and a guiding light for ecology worldwide. We are an active network of ecologists in the Nordic region and around the globe.
Why join NSO? Membership benefits include:
Connections across a global community of ecologists and five national societies
NSO newsletters with member-only updates about Nordic ecology and society activities
Ongoing opportunities for promotion on NSO’s digital platforms and social media channels
Discounted registration for NSO’s biennial conference
Eligibility to apply for NSO Grants
Each member receives additional benefits from one of our five national societies:
When you join NSO, you also become a member of one of our national societies. Which one? That’s up to you! Each national society provides its own benefits, including discounts to national conferences. Learn more about us at nordicsocietyoikos.org.
Danish Oikos Society
Oikos Finland
Icelandic Ecological Society
Norwegian Ecological Society
Swedish Oikos Society