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<oai_dc:dc xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:oai_dc="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/oai_dc.xsd">
  <dc:contributor>Scott Hotaling</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Ryan Kovach</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Leslie A. Jones</dc:contributor>
  <dc:contributor>Clint C. Muhlfeld</dc:contributor>
  <dc:creator>J. Joseph Giersch</dc:creator>
  <dc:date>2017</dc:date>
  <dc:description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;span&gt;Climate warming is causing rapid loss of glaciers and snowpack in mountainous regions worldwide. These changes are predicted to negatively impact the habitats of many range-restricted species, particularly endemic, mountaintop species dependent on the unique thermal and hydrologic conditions found only in glacier-fed and snowmelt-driven alpine streams. Though progress has been made, existing understanding of the status, distribution, and ecology of alpine aquatic species, particularly in North America, is lacking, thereby hindering conservation and management programs. Two aquatic insects – the meltwater stonefly &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Lednia tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; and the glacier stonefly &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Zapada glacier&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; – were recently proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act due to climate-change-induced habitat loss. Using a large dataset (272 streams, 482 total sites) with high-resolution climate and habitat information, we describe the distribution, status, and key environmental features that limit &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;L. tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Z. glacier&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; across the northern Rocky Mountains. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Lednia tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; was detected in 113 streams (175 sites) within Glacier National Park (GNP) and surrounding areas. The probability of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;L. tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; occurrence increased with cold stream temperatures and close proximity to glaciers and permanent snowfields. Similarly, densities of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;L. tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; declined with increasing distance from stream source. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Zapada glacier&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; was only detected in 10 streams (20 sites), six in GNP and four in mountain ranges up to ~600 km southwest. Our results show that both &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;L. tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Z. glacier&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; inhabit an extremely narrow distribution, restricted to short sections of cold, alpine streams often below glaciers predicted to disappear over the next two decades. Climate warming-induced glacier and snow loss clearly imperils the persistence of &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;L. tumana&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; and &lt;/span&gt;&lt;i&gt;Z. glacier&lt;/i&gt;&lt;span&gt; throughout their ranges, highlighting the role of mountaintop aquatic invertebrates as sentinels of climate change in mid-latitude regions.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</dc:description>
  <dc:format>application/pdf</dc:format>
  <dc:identifier>10.1111/gcb.13565</dc:identifier>
  <dc:language>en</dc:language>
  <dc:publisher>Wiley</dc:publisher>
  <dc:title>Climate-induced glacier and snow loss imperils alpine stream insects</dc:title>
  <dc:type>article</dc:type>
</oai_dc:dc>