Glacial influence shapes multitrophic biodiversity of glacial lakes on the Tibetan Plateau

Glacier retreat driven by global climate change is profoundly reshaping the biodiversity and ecosystem functions of glacial lakes， yet comprehensive knowledge of their biodiversity patterns and environmental drivers remains limited. Here， we investigated the diversity and community composition of multiple eukaryotic groups across 25 glacial lakes on the Tibetan Plateau using an environmental DNA approach. Our results indicated that these lakes harbor remarkably diverse eukaryotic communities with pronounced spatial heterogeneity. The glacial index (GI)， an integrated indicator of the degree of glacial influence， emerged as an important predictor of eukaryotic biodiversity， with protozoa exhibiting the highest sensitivity to variation in glacial influence among all groups. Null-model analyses indicated that stochastic processes dominated overall community assembly， while glacier-associated environmental variation remained closely linked to biodiversity patterns across lakes. Furthermore， partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM) revealed strong multitrophic bottom-up interactions among eukaryotic groups， with producer diversity exerting significant positive effects on higher trophic levels. This study provides a comprehensive multitrophic perspective on eukaryotic biodiversity in Tibetan Plateau glacial lakes and offers a foundation for understanding taxa-specific responses and ecosystem dynamics in glacier-influenced aquatic ecosystems under ongoing climate change.