Exploring algae biodiversity in mountains
This project is a pioneer long term study of algae biodiverity and ecosytems in snow. To Understand high‐altitude algae response to climate change, decipher the role of algae in mountain ecosystem, focus on snow and ice algae, and conserve endangered species and ecosystems.
In the context of climate change, mountain environments are dramatically affected. Glaciers are retreating, lake levels are falling, the supply of water to rivers and streams is endangered. At all elevations, all environments such as forests, mountain pastures, snow cover, are affected. We are facing visible changes but also invisible ones. Ecosystems exposed to the effects of climate change are particularly affected. Understanding these upheavals and developing conservation strategies require the knowledge of the living beings that inhabit these environments, and monitoring their evolution. The ALPALGA project focuses on microscopic, invisible organisms, which are at the heart of environmental changes, whose role in ecosystems is major, but whose biodiversity is largely unknown: microalgae.
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The White Ocean 