Nature Ecology & Evolution · 14 August 2026 · From issue 22
Mountain plant shifts toward warmth match regional warming, but not at individual plot level.
Johannes Hausharter, Johannes Wessely et al., Widespread thermophilization but weak link to climate warming in Europe’s summit plant communities, Nature Ecology & Evolution.
Mountain plants across Europe are shifting toward warm-loving species, a change called thermophilization. Scientists tracked 724 plant plots on 53 mountain summits for 21 years, along with temperature records. Warming and this plant shift both happened, but they matched up closely only when averaged over whole regions. At single plots, the link was weak. Soil type and which warm-loving plants were already nearby mattered more than local temperature changes.
The scale of the long-term survey used to track plant and temperature change on mountain summits.
One large survey across Europe, correlation only, no single-plot proof of warming's role.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 17 August 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Ecology & Evolution). Read the source
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