Paper Reviewed
Visinoni, L., Pernollet, C.A., Desmet, J.-F., Korner-Nievergelt, F. and Jenni, L. 2015. Microclimate and microhabitat selection by the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta Helvetica) during summer. Journal of Ornithology 156: 407-417.

In a paper published in the Journal of Ornithology, Visinoni et al. (2015) write that "the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta helvetica) -- which is adapted to arctic and alpine environments -- is suspected to be vulnerable to climate warming." But they go on to speculate that "microclimates within a landscape may allow species to exist in regions where the general climate appears to be unsuitable for them." And based on this possibility, the five European researchers "investigated the diversity of microclimates in alpine habitats used by the Alpine Rock Ptarmigan in summer."

Working in the northern French Alps, where ptarmigan were equipped with radio transmitters, Visinoni et al. measured ground and air temperature, wind speed and solar radiation at four contrasting micro-topographic sites at five locations and two random sites in July and August. And they report that at certain of these sites and times "Alpine Rock Ptarmigan selected places with a particular micro-topography and microclimate," some of which sites were small, north-facing depressions with a medium amount of rocks and diverse ground cover that were "slightly cooler in the shade and protected from the wind."

These places, as the five researchers write, "conformed well to the requirements of both heat dissipation and predator avoidance, and also offered food." And in light of these facts, one can reasonably speculate that the studied sties may provide significant "shelter from the storm" of predicted -- but as yet unproven -- CO2-induced global warming, while at the same time acting as hosts to the significant CO2-induced increases in the growth and water use efficiency of the sites' vegetative ground cover.