Galanthus and water if disturbed by floods. Some snowdrop species are threatened in their wild habitats, due to habitat destruction, illegal collecting and climate change. In most countries collecting bulbs from the wild is now illegal. Under CITES regulations, international trade in any quantity of "Galanthus", whether bulbs, live plants, or even dead ones, is illegal without a CITES permit. This applies to hybrids and named cultivars, as well as species. CITES lists all species but allows a limited trade in wild-collected bulbs of just three species ("G. nivalis", "G. elwesii", and "G. woronowii") from Turkey and Georgia (see Horticulture). A
Chlamydomonas nivalis cell in combination with inorganic material could enhance the darkening over the snow and reduce the surface area of white snow. Due to the absorption of solar energy by the alga, albedo would be reduced and the darker areas on the snow where the blooms form would melt more rapidly. As a result, populations of "C. nivalis" would increase, creating a feedback loop that amplifies melting and reduces sunlight absorbance which contributes to glacier retreat and lowering albedo, as shown experimentally. This is concerning to environmentalists and climate scientists. "C. nivalis" can be used as a model species for studying