Dumas K. auteur aut IRD Marais G. auteur aut IRD Paitreault S. auteur aut IRD Avrillier J. N. auteur aut IRD Rosa A. auteur aut IRD Hedde M. auteur aut IRD Rasplus J. Y. auteur aut IRD Chérasse S. auteur aut IRD Ouvrard D. auteur aut IRD Reynaud P. auteur aut IRD Trap Jean auteur aut IRD Filali Alaoui Ilyass auteur aut IRD Noël F. auteur aut IRD Perrier C. auteur aut IRD Yannic G. auteur aut IRD Gallet C. auteur aut IRD Bernier N. auteur aut IRD Lavergne S. auteur aut IRD Ibanez S. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf born digital access Cushion plants, which dominate nival ecosystems, are known to host a large diversity of plant, microbe, and animal life. However, a comprehensive assessment of this diversity is still lacking, particularly with regard to invertebrate soil fauna. In this study, we sampled soil beneath cushion plants in various climatic and geological conditions throughout the French Alps. Our results demonstrate that cushion plants host a remarkably high abundance and diversity of invertebrates, with some individual cushions hosting nearly 400 specimens belonging to 15 different families. Across all samples, 8845 specimens were found. The taxonomic diversity is particularly notable, with groups such as Collembola, Acari, and Nematoda, as well as Gastropoda, Diptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Hemiptera. In total, 44 different families were identified. In particular, our findings show that cushion plants not only function as habitats for adult invertebrates, but also as site for the egg laying and larval development of several insect groups, including Diptera, Hemiptera, and Lepidoptera. In addition, different species of cushion plant tend to host distinct invertebrate communities, which makes them a key driver spatial variation in invertebrate populations. However, the factors determining the alpha diversity of invertebrates assemblages in nival environments remain unclear. Overall, our results emphasize the key role of cushion plants in maintaining biodiversity in the nival vegetation belt. specialized Alpine ecology Nival soil communities Plant-insect interactions Soil invertebrates Soil fauna FRANCE ALPES 021 076 074 082 [Early access] [12 p.] 2025 1664-2201 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010094213 10.1007/s00035-025-00335-1 1664-2201 [F B010094213] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010094213 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/intranet/publi/2025-07/010094213.pdf Accès réservé (Intranet de l'IRD) IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2025-07-15 2026-06-12 fdi:010094213 fre