Fig 4. Conceptual diagram illustrating expected temporal changes in alpine aquatic diversity under the ongoing climate change: α-diversity in glacier-fed streams, β-diversity, and γ-diversity in glacierized catchments according to alteration in glacial meltwater contribution to alpine streams flow.

This conceptual diagram was built based on the mechanisms structuring the aquatic macroinvertebrate metacommunity revealed in this study and those from the literature on the organization of α, β, and γ diversity. Species extinction included species in headwater streams (both glacier-fed and groundwater streams). Up arrow and down arrow symbols signified increase and decrease, respectively.