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Widespread Aquatic Insect Responses to Recent Warming in Swiss Mountain Lakes
Maja Damber1, Ghéreint Devillet1, Pierre Lapellegerie1
1Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Global Change Biology
|June 8, 2026
Summary
Alpine lakes show shifts in aquatic insect communities due to warming temperatures. While most Swiss mountain lakes exhibit warmer chironomid assemblages, some show unique, lake-specific responses to climate change.
Area of Science:
- Palaeolimnology
- Alpine Ecology
- Climate Change Impact
Background:
- Mountain lakes are sensitive indicators of climatic change.
- Understanding alpine aquatic community responses to warming is crucial.
- Chironomid larvae preserved in sediments offer a historical record.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess species-environment relationships of chironomids in Swiss mountain lakes.
- To determine changes in chironomid assemblages linked to lake physicochemistry and rising temperatures.
- To compare current findings with historical survey data.
Main Methods:
- Palaeolimnological analysis of chironomid larvae remains from 24 Swiss mountain lake surface sediments.
- Assessment of species-environment relationships and comparison with 1993/2002 survey data.
- Statistical analysis of environmental parameters influencing chironomid distribution.
Main Results:
- Most high-elevation lakes showed shifts towards warmer chironomid assemblages and reduced cold-adapted taxa.
- Nine lakes, primarily lower-elevation, displayed stable or colder chironomid communities, indicating local influences.
- Lakewater organic matter, elevation, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus concentrations were key environmental drivers.
Conclusions:
- Both climate change and local environmental factors shape alpine chironomid assemblages.
- The majority of Swiss mountain lakes show aquatic insect community responses to increasing temperatures.
- Continued warming is expected to intensify shifts in chironomid populations, potentially crossing critical thermal thresholds.
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