European mountain vegetation shifts toward warmth-loving species

An international study published in Nature Ecology and Evolution reveals that alpine vegetation across 53 European mountain summits is shifting toward warmth-loving species, a process known as thermophilisation.

Researchers from the University of Vienna, the Austrian Academy of Sciences, and BOKU University analyzed data from 724 monitoring plots over a 21-year period as part of the GLORIA network. While temperatures on these summits have risen and warmth-associated plants have become more common, the study found a surprisingly weak direct correlation between the degree of thermophilisation and local temperature increases.

Lead author Johannes Hausharter noted that while vegetation changes are evident, the rate of these shifts does not depend solely on rising temperatures, suggesting that local conditions play a significant role in how these sensitive ecosystems respond to climate change.