Systematics, biodiversity and ecology of alpine and arctic diptera

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Due to their naturally fragmented distributions, alpine and arctic habitats are among the most fragile in the northern hemisphere and are heavily threatened by rapidly changing climatic conditions. While the influence of these changes has been at least partially studied in plants and vertebrates, little is known of their impacts on insects. With approximately 120K described species, true flies (order Diptera) represent close to 8% of total animal diversity. They are found all over the world and are common in most habitats. The relative diversity and abundance of flies increases sharply with both altitude and latitude, and especially so for the muscoid grade (Muscidae, Anthomyiidae, Scathophagidae, Fanniidae) where many species play key roles in alpine and arctic ecosystems by providing services such as pollination and decomposition.