ReviewBiological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society2025
Ecological interactions in glacier environments: a review of studies on a model Alpine glacier.
Review in Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- The Biodiversity of Retreating Glaciers Leaves an Ecological Legacy in Emerging Soil Communities.Global change biology · 2026Article
- Meeting Review of the Cryospheric Ecosystems Conference, 1-4 September 2025, Poznań, Poland.Biology open · 2026Article
- Unexpected high subterranean biodiversity on rock glaciers threatened by global warming.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Spatial and temporal variability of supraglacial algae on an Alpine glacier (Forni Glacier, Italy).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Isolation and characterization of novel microorganisms producing natural compounds of possible industrial interest: an integrated genomic and metabolomic approach.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Article
- Insights Into Cryoconite Community Dynamics on the Alpine Glacier Throughout the Ablation Season.Ecology and evolution · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Glaciers host a variety of cold-adapted taxa, many of which have not yet been described. Interactions among glacier organisms are even less clear. Understanding ecological interactions is crucial to unravelling the functioning of glacier ecosystems, particularly in light of current glacier retreat. Through a review of the existing literature, we aim to provide a first overview of the biodiversity, primary production, trophic networks, and matter flow of a glacier ecosystem. We use the Forni Glacier (Central Italian Alps) - one of the best studied alpine glaciers in the world - as a model system for our literature review and integrate additional original data. We reveal the importance of allochthonous organic matter inputs, of Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic green algae in primary production, and the key role of springtails (Vertagopus glacialis) on the glacier surface in sustaining populations of two apex terrestrial predators: Nebria castanea (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Pardosa saturatior (Araneae: Lycosidae). The cryophilic tardigrade Cryobiotus klebelsbergi is the apex consumer in cryoconite holes. This short food web highlights the fragility of nodes represented by invertebrates, contrasting with structured microbial communities in all glacier habitats. Although further research is necessary to quantify the ecological interactions of glacier organisms, this review summarises and integrates existing knowledge about the ecological processes on alpine glaciers and supports the importance of glacier-adapted organisms in providing ecosystem services.
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Registered trials
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