Climate change going deep
The effects of global climatic alterations on cave ecosystems
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4189038 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Stefano Mammola (0000-0002-4471-9055, Finnish Museum of Natural History), Elena Piano (0000-0002-4685-7240, University of Turin), Pedro Cardoso (0000-0001-8119-9960, University of Helsinki), Philippe Vernon (0000-0002-6237-7511, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), David Domínguez-Villar, David Domínguez‐villar (0000-0002-4730-6053, University of Birmingham), David C Culver (0000-0002-8866-9053, American University), Tanja Pipan (0000-0001-9786-3870), Marco Isaia (0000-0001-5434-2127, University of Turin) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 6 |
| Issue | 1-2 |
| Pages | 98-116 |
| Publication date | 2019-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Anthropocene Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2053-0196 • E-ISSN: 2053-020X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2053019619851594 |
| OpenAlex | W2947101595 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 126 |
Scientists of different disciplines have recognized the valuable role of terrestrial caves as ideal natural laboratories in which to study multiple eco-evolutionary processes, from genes to ecosystems. Because caves and other subterranean habitats are semi-closed systems characterized by a remarkable thermal stability, they should also represent insightful systems for understanding the effects of climate change on biodiversity in situ. Whilst a number of recent advances have demonstrated how promising this fast-moving field of research could be, a lack of synthesis is possibly holding back the adoption of caves as standard models for the study of the recent climatic alteration. By linking literature focusing on physics, geology, biology and ecology, we illustrate the rationale supporting the use of subterranean habitats as laboratories for studies of global change biology. We initially discuss the direct relationship between external and internal temperature, the stability of the subterranean climate and the dynamics of its alteration in an anthropogenic climate change perspective. Owing to their evolution in a stable environment, subterranean species are expected to exhibit low tolerance to climatic perturbations and could theoretically cope with such changes only by shifting their distributional range or by adapting to the new environmental conditions. However, they should have more obstacles to overcome than surface species in such shifts, and therefore could be more prone to local extinction. In the face of rapid climate change, subterranean habitats can be seen as refugia for some surface species, but at the same time they may turn into dead-end traps for some of their current obligate inhabitants. Together with other species living in confined habitats, we argue that subterranean species are particularly sensitive to climate change, and we stress the urgent need for future research, monitoring programs and conservation measures
Biodiversity · Biology · Cave · Climate change · Earth science · Ecological stability · Ecosystem · Environmental change · Extinction (optical mineralogy · Global change · Global warming · Habitat · Natural (archaeology · Environmental Science · Protist diversity and phylogeny · Species Distribution and Climate Change · Subterranean biodiversity and taxonomy · Ecology · Geology · Paleontology
Ecological responses to recent climate change
A globally coherent fingerprint of climate change impacts across natural systems
Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming
Impacts of climate change on the future of biodiversity
Fingerprints of global warming on wild animals and plants
Novel climates, no-analog communities, and ecological surprises
Highly variable Northern Hemisphere temperatures reconstructed from low- and high-resolution proxy data
Extinction risk from climate change
Hypogean carabid beetles as indicators of global warming
The Anthropocene biosphere
| Citations per year | 0.4 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2023 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |