Contrasting thermophilization among forests, grasslands and alpine summits
Climate warming is shifting biological communities, with warmth-demanding species being favoured at the expense of cold-adapted species in a process referred to as thermophilization1–4. Because biodiversity responses often lag behind climate warming, climatic debts are accumulating in many ecosystems across the world5–7. Although we might expect that thermophilization and climatic debts will vary among habitats, standardized quantification across ecosystems is lacking. Here we analysed multidecadal data from 6,067 resurveyed vegetation plots over 12–78 years in forests, grasslands and on alpine summits across Europe. We demonstrate that forest understory and grassland plant communities experienced positive thermophilization, although not significantly different from zero. By contrast, alpine summit vegetation showed much stronger (up to five times) and significant thermophilization. Thermophilization was driven largely by increases in warmth-demanding species in grasslands, by declines in cold-adapted species on alpine summits and by both processes in forests. Significant climatic debts have accumulated in forests and alpine summits, but less so in grasslands, with debts positively correlated with macroclimate temperature changes. Our findings uncover divergent thermophilization trajectories and increasing climatic debts across ecosystems. Moreover, we highlight the mechanisms that enable some communities to track climate change more closely than others and provide a basis for projecting future shifts in plant communities under accelerating climate warming.
Details
| Aantal pagina's | 29 |
|---|---|
| Pagina's (van-tot) | 1 |
| Type | A1: Web of Science-artikel |
| Categorie | Onderzoek |
| Tijdschrift | Nature: International Weekly Journal of Science |
| Issns | 0028-0836|1476-4687 |
| Uitgeverij | Nature Publishing Group |
| Taal | Engels |
Bibtex
@misc{00f0aa8d-2ff8-487c-b700-5d731d6c6052,
title = "Contrasting thermophilization among forests, grasslands and alpine summits",
abstract = "Climate warming is shifting biological communities, with warmth-demanding species being favoured at the expense of cold-adapted species in a process referred to as thermophilization1–4. Because biodiversity responses often lag behind climate warming, climatic debts are accumulating in many ecosystems across the world5–7. Although we might expect that thermophilization and climatic debts will vary among habitats, standardized quantification across ecosystems is lacking. Here we analysed multidecadal data from 6,067 resurveyed vegetation plots over 12–78 years in forests, grasslands and on alpine summits across Europe. We demonstrate that forest understory and grassland plant communities experienced positive thermophilization, although not significantly different from zero. By contrast, alpine summit vegetation showed much stronger (up to five times) and significant thermophilization. Thermophilization was driven largely by increases in warmth-demanding species in grasslands, by declines in cold-adapted species on alpine summits and by both processes in forests. Significant climatic debts have accumulated in forests and alpine summits, but less so in grasslands, with debts positively correlated with macroclimate temperature changes. Our findings uncover divergent thermophilization trajectories and increasing climatic debts across ecosystems. Moreover, we highlight the mechanisms that enable some communities to track climate change more closely than others and provide a basis for projecting future shifts in plant communities under accelerating climate warming.",
author = "Kai Yue and Pieter Vangansbeke and Isla H. Myers-Smith and Donald M. Waller and Kris Verheyen and Markus Bernhardt-Römermann and Lander Baeten and Ingmar R. Staude and Anne D. Bjorkman and Radim Hédl and Christopher Andrews and Elena Barni and Thomas Becker and Antoine Becker-Scarpitta and José-Luis Benito Alonso and Jonathan Bennie and Imre Berki and Volker Blüml and Jörg Brunet and James M. Bullock and Hans Van Calster and Michele Carbognani and Markéta Chudomelová and Deborah Closset-Kopp and Pavel Dan Turtureanu and Gergana N. Daskalova and Guillaume Decocq and Jan Dick and Martin Diekmann and Thomas Dirnböck and Tomasz Durak and Ove Eriksson and Brigitta Erschbamer and Bente Jessen Graae and Thilo Heinken and Martin Hermy and Peter Horchler and Ute Jandt and Bogdan Jaroszewicz and Róbert Kanka and Jozef Kollár and Martin Kopecký and Thomas Kudernatsch and Andrea Lamprecht and Jonathan Lenoir and Martin Macek and Marek Malicki and František Máliš and Ottar Michelsen and Fraser J. G. Mitchell and Tobias Naaf and Thomas A. Nagel and Miles Newman and Adrian C. Newton and Lena Nicklas and Ludovica Oddi and Anna Orczewska and Simone Orsenigo and Adrienne Ortmann-Ajkai and Jan den Ouden and Harald Pauli and George Peterken and Petr Petřík and Remigiusz Pielech and Mihai Puşcaş and Christophe Francois Randin and Kamila Reczyńska and Christian Rixen and Fride Høistad Schei and Wolfgang Schmidt and Jan Sebesta and Alina Stachurska-Swakon and Tibor Standovár and Krzysztof Świerkosz and Balázs Teleki and Jean-Paul Theurillat and Tudor-Mihai Ursu and Thomas Vanneste and Mark Vellend and Philippine Vergeer and Ondřej Vild and Luis Villar and Pascal Vittoz and Manuela Winkler and Sonja Wipf and Fuzhong Wu and Shengmin Zhang and Pieter De Frenne",
year = "2026",
month = mrt,
day = "18",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09622-7",
language = "Nederlands",
publisher = "Nature Publishing Group",
address = "België,
type = "Other"
}
Auteurs
Kai YuePieter Vangansbeke
Isla H. Myers-Smith
Donald M. Waller
Kris Verheyen
Markus Bernhardt-Römermann
Lander Baeten
Ingmar R. Staude
Anne D. Bjorkman
Radim Hédl
Christopher Andrews
Elena Barni
Thomas Becker
Antoine Becker-Scarpitta
José-Luis Benito Alonso
Jonathan Bennie
Imre Berki
Volker Blüml
Jörg Brunet
James M. Bullock
Hans Van Calster
Michele Carbognani
Markéta Chudomelová
Deborah Closset-Kopp
Pavel Dan Turtureanu
Gergana N. Daskalova
Guillaume Decocq
Jan Dick
Martin Diekmann
Thomas Dirnböck
Tomasz Durak
Ove Eriksson
Brigitta Erschbamer
Bente Jessen Graae
Thilo Heinken
Martin Hermy
Peter Horchler
Ute Jandt
Bogdan Jaroszewicz
Róbert Kanka
Jozef Kollár
Martin Kopecký
Thomas Kudernatsch
Andrea Lamprecht
Jonathan Lenoir
Martin Macek
Marek Malicki
František Máliš
Ottar Michelsen
Fraser J. G. Mitchell
Tobias Naaf
Thomas A. Nagel
Miles Newman
Adrian C. Newton
Lena Nicklas
Ludovica Oddi
Anna Orczewska
Simone Orsenigo
Adrienne Ortmann-Ajkai
Jan den Ouden
Harald Pauli
George Peterken
Petr Petřík
Remigiusz Pielech
Mihai Puşcaş
Christophe Francois Randin
Kamila Reczyńska
Christian Rixen
Fride Høistad Schei
Wolfgang Schmidt
Jan Sebesta
Alina Stachurska-Swakon
Tibor Standovár
Krzysztof Świerkosz
Balázs Teleki
Jean-Paul Theurillat
Tudor-Mihai Ursu
Thomas Vanneste
Mark Vellend
Philippine Vergeer
Ondřej Vild
Luis Villar
Pascal Vittoz
Manuela Winkler
Sonja Wipf
Fuzhong Wu
Shengmin Zhang
Pieter De Frenne