Eiszeitrefugien in Österreich und deren Bedeutung für die Biodiversität

2002

S. 51-52

Unselbständiges Werk

200101103

Pleistocene glaciations dramatically influenced biodiversity. Patterns of species distributions and genetic diversity can still be related to them. Palaeocolimatological and geological data, as well as distributional patterns of endemic plants and molecular phylogeographical data can help to localize glacial refugia. Evidence is given from different disciplines that refugia of alpine plants were situated in unglaciated areas of the Alps and even within the ice sheet on peripheral nunataks. Refugia of upper montane plant communities and even of deciduous forests might have survived close to the Alps, as suggested by the restricted distribution of some woodland herbs.