Kryal

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As Kryal in is ecology of the habitat of snow and glacier called. It is mainly older snow that is settled, especially in the climatic regions in which snow and ice are preserved longer - the polar and high mountain regions .
The inhabitants of the Kryal are divided into cryoflora and cryofauna .

Breakdown

Cryoflora

The cryoflora mostly consists of unicellular algae , the so-called snow algae , such as. B. different species of the genera Chlamydomonas and Chloromonas . First mentions can be found from the 17th century in travelogues, for example in the description of a boat trip to Spitsbergen and Greenland written by Friederich Martens in 1671 and in the Voyages dans les Alpes by Horace-Bénédict de Saussure from 1786, a trip through the european alps. The phenomenon of red snow (or “blood snow ”) was then examined in more scientific detail using samples from Baffin Bay (Canada) that were collected during a British expedition in search of a north-west passage.

In contrast to the opinion that was then and still partly prevalent today that the red snow is only caused by a species of algae called Chlamydomonas nivalis , Kol already pointed out the diversity of cryovegetation in her monograph. More recent studies and genetic studies show an extraordinary diversity of species of microalgae and other organisms that inhabit the eternal snow and ice surfaces of the polar and alpine regions of our earth as habitats. In recent times it has also been investigated whether the adaptation strategies of microorganisms to life at 0 ° C can also be used biotechnologically for humans. This includes As well as the red color of the algae spores, which is caused by various carotenoids and the reason for the concept of blood snow is. These plant dyes and other ingredients can be z. B. use as a dietary supplement with antioxidant effects, as well as - due to their preventive properties - in medicine for humans.

Besides these microscopic plants, there are also known fungi and bacteria that colonize the Kryal. Together with the cryofauna, all of these organisms are known as cryosestones .

The cryoflora depends on the pH value of the snow and the underground rock .

Cryofauna

The Kryofauna consists primarily of insects , particularly wherein here springtails ( snow fleas ), and snow mosquitoes (species of the genus Chionea , family Limoniidae ), are important.

meaning

The cryoflora is of global importance as it leads to pigmentation of the snow. This leads to a reduction in the albedo of the snow and an increased absorption of solar radiation . This in turn intensifies the snowmelt .

See also

swell

  1. ↑ Friederich Martens (1675): Spitzberg or Groenland travel description made in 1671. Hamburg.
  2. ^ De Saussure, HB (1786): Voyages dans les Alpes. Neuchâtel.
  3. ↑ NN (1818): Captain Sir John Ross has brought from Baffin's Bay a quantity of red snow. In: London Times, Dec. 4 , London.
  4. ↑ Ross, J. (1819): A voyage of discovery, made under the order of the Admirality, in His Majesty's ships Isabella and Alexander [in 1818], for the purpose of exploring Baffin's Bay, and inquiring into the probability of a North -West Passage. London.
  5. ^ Bauer, F. (1819): Microscopical observation on the red snow. - The Quarterly Journal of Literature, Science and The Arts, London VII : 222-229 (incl. Plate VI).
  6. ^ Bauer, F. (1820): Red Snow of Baffin's Bay. - American Journal of Science and Arts 2 : 356.
  7. ↑ Kol, E. (1968): Cryobiology: Biology and Limnology of Snow and Ice I, Kryovegetation. - The inland waters. Individual presentations from limnology and its neighboring areas, Vol. 24 . E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagbuchhandlung (Nägele and Obermiller), Stuttgart, 216S.
  8. ↑ Leya, T. (2004): Field studies and genetic studies on the cryophilia of snow algae in Northwest Spitzbergen. Shaker Verlag , Aachen, 145S.