Linking macro- and microclimate in mountain landscapes: a conceptual and instrumental approach

Abstract

The effects of climate change are becoming clearer all over the planet. The bad news is that mountain ecosystems are among the most affected by these changes. The good news is that the complex orography of the mountains generates a very heterogeneous mosaic of environmental conditions, which can help conserve the biodiversity and services provisioning of their ecosystems. Characterizing these microenvironments and linking them to the ecophysiological, behavioral and demographic responses of organisms is key to understanding their persistence capacity and their possible adaptation to new scenarios. In this contribution we present a conceptual and instrumental proposal that we are implementing to characterize microclimates in mountain ecosystems and to advance the integration between macro and micro scales.