Periglacial microclimate in low-altitude scree slopes supports relict biodiversity

0380816 - BC 2013 RIV GB eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Růžička, Vlastimil - Zacharda, M. - Němcová, L. - Šmilauer, P. - Nekola, J. C.
Periglacial microclimate in low-altitude scree slopes supports relict biodiversity.
Journal of Natural History. Roč. 46, 35-36 (2012), s. 2145-2157. ISSN 0022-2933. E-ISSN 1464-5262
Výzkumný záměr: CEZ:AV0Z50070508
Klíčová slova: periglacial microclimate * habitat islands * arthropods
Kód oboru RIV: EH - Ekologie - společenstva
Impakt faktor: 0.778, rok: 2012

Air circulation through talus slopes creates unique microclimates, with some of the most interesting being low elevation mid-latitude scree in areas with frequent snow-free <0°C (eg. “black frost”) days that allow for development of year-round ice accumulations. Here, we document this phenomenon on Kamenec Hill in North Bohemia (Czech Republic) located at an altitude of 330 m a.s.l., where mean annual temperatures under 0°C are maintained in a narrow strip along the slope’s lower margin. This microhabitat, as well as intersticial spaces between scree blocks elsewhere on this slope, supports an important assemblage of boreal and/or arctic bryophytes, pteridophytes and arthropods that are disjunct from their normal ranges far to the north. This freezing scree slope represents a classic example of a paleorefugium that significantly contributes to protection and maintenance of regional landscape biodiversity.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0211428