A glacial refugium (plural glacial refugia) is a geographic region which made possible the survival of flora and fauna during ice ages and allowed for post-glacial re-colonization. Different types of glacial refugia can be distinguished, namely nunatak, peripheral, and lowland. Glacial refugia have been suggested as a major cause of floral and faunal distribution patterns in both temperate and tropical latitudes. With respect to disjunct populations of modern-day species, especially in birds, doubt has been cast on the validity of such inferences, as much of the differentiation between populations observed today may have occurred before or after their restriction to refugia. In contrast, isolated geographic locales that host one or more critically endangered species (regarded as paleoendemics or glacial relicts) are generally uncontested as bona fide glacial refugia.
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Glacial refugium in the context of Last Glacial Maximum refugia
Last Glacial Maximum refugia were places (refugia) in which humans and other species survived during the Last Glacial Period, around 25,000 to 18,000 years ago. Glacial refugia are areas where climate changes were not as severe, and where species could recolonize after deglaciation.
Globally, the temperatures during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) were 4.0 ± 0.8 °C cooler than present day. The colder climate contributed to ice sheet growth in North America, Europe, and Antarctica. At this time there were further major climate shifts around the world. Some areas became too dry to support much life; others housed more vegetation and animals.