The fact that the caves are semi‐closed systems with an almost constant temperature makes them almost ideal sites where to study the effect of temperature on ecosystems. As a first approximation we may assume that a cave has a temperature almost equal to the local yearly average temperature. Increases in outside temperature (i.e. global warming) can thus easily be detected inside caves and cave dwelling organisms, showing low tolerance to temperature variations, may be affected by such variations. Altering cave microclimate, global warming may potentially cause local extinctions. One of the aims of the CaveLab Research Project (Work Package 6) is to evaluate the potentiality of the cave ecosystems as indicators for global warming. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between cave temperature and cave dwelling arthropods, addressing their potential for the monitoring of global warming. In 2013 we allocated 72 i‐button devices programmed to record temperature every 6 hours for one year in 36 caves in the Western Italian Alps. As a result, the focal caves were characterized from a microclimatic point of view that provided the baseline for the study of the relation between temperature and the occurrence of specialized cave dwelling arthropods. Later on, we extended the dataset to comprise more than 350 caves, for which we obtained a climatic profile and gathered faunistic data (presence/absence) via direct samplings and literature data. Binomial General Addictive Models (GAM) models allowed us to identify several cryophilic stenotherm hypogean species (adapted to narrow ranges of cold temperatures), that will be chosen to assess future scenarios of species distribution on a large scale according to different temperature scenarios provided by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In particular, spiders of the genus Troglohyphantes (Araneae, Linyphiidae), proved to be the most sensible species to thermic variations. A special focus on the regional scale (population extinctions or expansions, future scenarios of species distribution, decline of endemic species) will be given.
Potential of cave ecosystems as indicators for global warming
MAMMOLA, STEFANO;PASCHETTA, MAURO;ISAIA, MARCO
2014-01-01
Abstract
The fact that the caves are semi‐closed systems with an almost constant temperature makes them almost ideal sites where to study the effect of temperature on ecosystems. As a first approximation we may assume that a cave has a temperature almost equal to the local yearly average temperature. Increases in outside temperature (i.e. global warming) can thus easily be detected inside caves and cave dwelling organisms, showing low tolerance to temperature variations, may be affected by such variations. Altering cave microclimate, global warming may potentially cause local extinctions. One of the aims of the CaveLab Research Project (Work Package 6) is to evaluate the potentiality of the cave ecosystems as indicators for global warming. The aim of this study is to investigate the relation between cave temperature and cave dwelling arthropods, addressing their potential for the monitoring of global warming. In 2013 we allocated 72 i‐button devices programmed to record temperature every 6 hours for one year in 36 caves in the Western Italian Alps. As a result, the focal caves were characterized from a microclimatic point of view that provided the baseline for the study of the relation between temperature and the occurrence of specialized cave dwelling arthropods. Later on, we extended the dataset to comprise more than 350 caves, for which we obtained a climatic profile and gathered faunistic data (presence/absence) via direct samplings and literature data. Binomial General Addictive Models (GAM) models allowed us to identify several cryophilic stenotherm hypogean species (adapted to narrow ranges of cold temperatures), that will be chosen to assess future scenarios of species distribution on a large scale according to different temperature scenarios provided by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In particular, spiders of the genus Troglohyphantes (Araneae, Linyphiidae), proved to be the most sensible species to thermic variations. A special focus on the regional scale (population extinctions or expansions, future scenarios of species distribution, decline of endemic species) will be given.
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