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AlpesThe marmots adapt rather well to climate change
Small rodents today live at higher altitudes than 40 years ago, but their habitat is not fundamentally turned upside down, according to a study.
SLF researchers have identified marmots like this on 25 sites near Davos.
Anne Kempel /SLFGood news: there should be no need to climb too high in the future to hear the marmots whistle. Indeed, these small rodents are rather well with global warming, the Institute for the study of snow and avalanches (SLF) said on Tuesday.
A study conducted in the Dischma valley, near Davos (GR), reveals that they live today on average at 2500 m, 86 meters higher than in 1982. But the upper limit of their habitat, at 2700 m, did not move, according to biologist Anne Kempel.
Several reasons explain this relative stability. First, beyond 2700 m, the conditions become unfavorable to marmots: the soil does not allow them to dig burrows. And the snow layer is often insufficient to ensure effective soil insulation during their hibernation. In addition, they find at altitude plants containing linoleic acid, essential for their winter metabolism. Plants that too have slightly migrated to the heights.
Threatens in the low parts of the Alps
However, the study only applies to the Davos region and comparable areas, specifies the researcher. Because in the lower parts of the Alps, the situation could become difficult. Indeed, beyond 25 ° C, an increasingly frequently reached threshold, the marmots suffer from thermal stress. They then take refuge in their burrows during the day and accumulate less fat for the winter, which can have fatal consequences during the cold season.
In addition, the forest limit goes up. “However, they do not adapt to the forest and as they cannot go up higher, their living space is reduced,” concludes Anne Kempel.
