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The ways that climate change is transforming Europe’s plant life vary by ecosystem. While even warmth-demanding species are declining in mountain regions, in forests and grasslands, such species are increasing. A new study published in the journal Nature reveals these contrasting dynamics.
An international research team led by the Forest and Nature Lab at Ghent University investigated how plant communities in various habitats across Europe are changing as a result of global warming. The study focused on thermophilization – the shift in composition of plant communities toward warmth-demanding species driven by rising temperatures.
Comprehensive, Long-Term Data over Decades
“Central to this analysis is one of the most comprehensive datasets on vegetation change in Europe to date,” emphasizes Professor Martin Diekmann from the University of Bremen, head of the Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology research group. The team analyzed over 6,000 permanent and quasi-permanent vegetation plots in forests, grasslands, and alpine summit regions. “These plots were surveyed repeatedly over periods ranging from 12 to 78 years using standardized methods. In order to focus on assessing climate-related effects, only sites without significant changes in land use were included.” Researchers recorded the full composition of species and standardized the abundance data, the frequency and dominance of individual species, to enable comparisons between the ecosystems.
Diverging Dynamics Across European Ecosystems
The results reveal that theromophilization proceeds differently across ecosystems. In grasslands, the shift is primarily characterized by an increase in thermophilic species. In forests, both the decline of cold-adapted species and the rise of warmth-demanding species contribute to change. In mountain regions such as the Alps, however, a completely different pattern emerges, as both cold-adapted and warmth-demanding species are in decline. Diekmann says, “Despite this, plant community composition is still shifting in favor of thermophilic species, since those adapted to cold are declining more rapidly.”
Climatic Debts: Plant Adaptation Is Slower than Climate Change
According to the research team, one of the study’s key findings is the phenomenon of “climatic debts.” By this, the study’s authors mean the lag between changing climate conditions and plant communities’ ability to adapt to these. “Plant communities adapt to the warming climate more slowly than this is changing. This results in an imbalance between ecological composition and local climate conditions, posing long-term risks to biodiversity and ecosystem stability,” the biologist explains. These climatic debts are particularly pronounced in forests and mountain regions.
Targeted Adaptation Measures Needed
The results show that the impact of climate change is not uniform, but depends strongly on ecological conditions. Researchers conclude that conservation and adaptation measures must be tailored to fit specific ecosystems if they are to be effective.
Researchers from Europe, North America, and Asia participated in the study. According to the authors, it provides a unique comparison of how various European ecosystems react to climate change.
Prof. Dr. Martin Diekmann
Vegetation Ecology and Conservation Biology Research Group
Institute for Ecology
University of Bremen
Phone: +49 421 218-62920
Email: mdiekman@uni-bremen.de
Yue, K., Vangansbeke, P., Myers-Smith, I.H. et al. Contrasting thermophilization among forests, grasslands and alpine summits. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09622-7
Nature reserve Hollerland near the University of Bremen, Forest with autumn foliage in Hesse, German ...
Source: Martin Diekmann
Copyright: Martin Diekmann
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Environment / ecology, Oceanology / climate, Zoology / agricultural and forest sciences
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