DymamitE – Dynamic Mountain Environments (DME)

• DynamitE Vol. 2

Mountain regions across the globe are most dynamic environments displaying highest rates of environmental change. Processes occur over a wide range of timescales and with a great dynamic range. They include slow but long-lasting geodynamic processes that build mountain ranges and foster evolutionary processes generating mountain biodiversity. Abiotic and biotic mountain environments are continuously sharpened by the erosive power of ice and water. The drivers of the erosive power are provided by climate that is inherently dynamic and even on short-term displays high variability through changing weather phenomena. Mountains result from the interplay of intrinsic (tectonic) and extrinsic (erosion) forces and form a dynamic surface that provides the stage for evolutionary processes to thrive on. These processes can in turn occur on ecological to geological timescales as species and communities adapt to changing abiotic and/or biotic conditions. Soil formation and colonisation of fresh surfaces by adapted plant communities as well as subsequent species interactions result in dynamic processes that feed back on erosive processes. Animal interactions further enhance dynamic feedbacks that lead to non-linear processes and changes in biodiversity. The increasing role of direct and indirect human impact on mountain ecosystems and biodiversity adds another dimension of complexity: mountain ranges have been home to human societies for millennia. Initially, mountains provided food and precious recourses. Later, mountains acted as constraints for exchange of people and ideas, and today are environments that provide goods, services, and livelihoods for many societies. With technological changes and population increase human impact has become so significant that it now operates on a par with geological and biological processes, and a new era is currently being coined: the Anthropocene.