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Caption: MACRO Change
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Macro Invertebrates by: Simon Jolly
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Caption: Grinnell Glacier, 1926 Credit: Morton Elrod Grinnell Glacier, 2019 As the effects of climate change come to the fore, biodiversity will be one of the areas that are hardest hit.
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Caption: There are a variety of organisms which are reliant on streams originating from glaciers and snowpacks. Particularly, macro invertebrates in alpine and sub alpine streams have become threatened by the changing climate.
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Caption: L. tumana and Z. glacier are two alpine insects which thrive in these environments. There is a small temperature range in which they are able to survive.
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Caption: The subalpine mountain snail is a species native to Northwest Montana which lives along streams as well. While it currently enjoys relative abundance, it could easily become endangered as its habitat is altered.
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Caption: As the global climate warms, there are becoming less and less habitats for these organisms to inhabit.
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Caption: Populations are becoming more isolated, leading to decreased genetic diversity.
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Caption: Climate change has prompted genetic bottlenecking with populations decreasing in size and becoming more separated. Alleles have less of an opportunity to be exchanged across populations.
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Caption: Glacier National Park and other public lands host the last refuge for many endangered species in such environments.
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Caption: The USGS and partners are working to get L. tumana and Z. glacier listed as endangered species. However, political roadblocks have stopped significant progress on this front.
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Caption: Climate change and politics are inevitably intertwined. It is important to protect biodiversity through channels like the Endangered Species Act.
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Caption: Climate change poses a threat to all living organisms on planet Earth... and it is up to us to save macro invertebrates in alpine and subalpine environments through substantive change.