Refuge for cold-adapted species

A study of the genomic variation of the collared lemming across its range in northern Eurasia finds that the highest mitochondrial genetic diversity resides in West Beringia, supporting a hypothesis that temperatures warmer than today during the last interglacial and mid-Holocene may have caused northward expansion of forests and contraction of collared lemming tundra habitat in all regions except West Beringia; the results suggest that the region may serve as a refuge for cold-adapted species in the Arctic as temperatures continue to rise.

###

Article #19-13596: “Impact of past climate warming on genomic diversity and demographic history of collared lemmings across the Eurasian Arctic,” by Vadim B. Fedorov et al.

MEDIA CONTACT: Nils Chr. Stenseth, University of Oslo, NORWAY; e-mail:

[email protected]