ABSTRACT
Changes in the diversity and abundance of plants and animals may be particularly severe in Australia because the extent of the true alpine habitat is minimal, with limited high altitude refuges. Seasonal cover of snow is regarded as a major determinant of the faunal composition of the subalpine and alpine areas of the Snowy Mountains above 1500 m. Snow data were obtained from a Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric Authority snow course at Spencers Creek in the Snowy Mountains that has been visited weekly through the snow season since 1954. Additional support for the impact of snow cover on animal numbers comes from the response of species to years of shallow snow cover. In addition to the apparent changes in the distribution of some mammal species associated with changes in snow cover, migratory birds may also be affected. The only observed impacts of a loss of snow cover on biodiversity in the Snowy Mountains has been on mammals.
