small blocks of high mountain areas are scattered through the southern European
peninsulas, like those of the Balkans, the Apennine Peninsula and Iberia. Finally,
isolated and small high mountain systems are found elsewhere, such as the Massif
Central, the Vosges, the Harz and some parts of the Sudety Mountains.
Accordingly, Europe can be visualised as a highly diverse archipelago composed of
mountain islands of very different sizes and very different degrees of isolation
embedded in a matrix of lowland areas. This complexity of high mountains
translates into a high diversity of their biogeographic structures (Fig. 3.1).
In this chapter, I therefore give a short overview of the biogeographic structures
of the high mountains of Europe. On the one hand, I focus on the biogeographic
structures within single mountain systems, on the other hand, I work out the different biogeographic links among different high mountain systems. A special focus
of this chapter is on molecular analyses, these being highly suitable for unravelling
biogeographic structures. Most of the examples presented refer to invertebrates and
plants. Based on these genetic patterns, a comprehensive analysis of range
dynamics in high mountain ecosystems in space and time is presented.
Before considering the more detailed biogeographic structures of high mountain
species, we have to define two fundamental distribution types, the arctic–alpine and
the alpine disjunct species. Arctic–alpine species are distributed in the alpine belt of
high mountain systems in the South and in the Arctic realm and have long been
interpreted as having resulted from the postglacial disjunction of an extended zonal
distribution during the last ice age, with retreat to high altitudes in the South and
high latitudes in the North (Scharff 1899; Holdhaus 1954). Alpine disjunct species
are lacking in the tundra belt of the North, but are distributed in several of the
southern high mountain systems in the subalpine and alpine belt. The distributional
Fig. 3.1 Centres of genetic endemism of alpine elements. The bold line indicates the Alps, the
most important centre of alpine endemism in Europe. Continuous lines highlight further mountain
ranges with high numbers of genetic endemism. Broken lines indicated mountain systems with
frequent genetic endemism, while dotted lines mark those mountains with just few cases of genetic
endemism. Map based on Google Maps
64
T. Schmitt
peninsulas, like those of the Balkans, the Apennine Peninsula and Iberia. Finally,
isolated and small high mountain systems are found elsewhere, such as the Massif
Central, the Vosges, the Harz and some parts of the Sudety Mountains.
Accordingly, Europe can be visualised as a highly diverse archipelago composed of
mountain islands of very different sizes and very different degrees of isolation
embedded in a matrix of lowland areas. This complexity of high mountains
translates into a high diversity of their biogeographic structures (Fig. 3.1).
In this chapter, I therefore give a short overview of the biogeographic structures
of the high mountains of Europe. On the one hand, I focus on the biogeographic
structures within single mountain systems, on the other hand, I work out the different biogeographic links among different high mountain systems. A special focus
of this chapter is on molecular analyses, these being highly suitable for unravelling
biogeographic structures. Most of the examples presented refer to invertebrates and
plants. Based on these genetic patterns, a comprehensive analysis of range
dynamics in high mountain ecosystems in space and time is presented.
Before considering the more detailed biogeographic structures of high mountain
species, we have to define two fundamental distribution types, the arctic–alpine and
the alpine disjunct species. Arctic–alpine species are distributed in the alpine belt of
high mountain systems in the South and in the Arctic realm and have long been
interpreted as having resulted from the postglacial disjunction of an extended zonal
distribution during the last ice age, with retreat to high altitudes in the South and
high latitudes in the North (Scharff 1899; Holdhaus 1954). Alpine disjunct species
are lacking in the tundra belt of the North, but are distributed in several of the
southern high mountain systems in the subalpine and alpine belt. The distributional
Fig. 3.1 Centres of genetic endemism of alpine elements. The bold line indicates the Alps, the
most important centre of alpine endemism in Europe. Continuous lines highlight further mountain
ranges with high numbers of genetic endemism. Broken lines indicated mountain systems with
frequent genetic endemism, while dotted lines mark those mountains with just few cases of genetic
endemism. Map based on Google Maps
64
T. Schmitt