Red-listed plants are contracting their elevational range faster than common plants in the European Alps.

ABSTRACT: Mountain ecosystems are exposed to multiple anthropogenic pressures that are reshaping the distribution of plant populations. Range dynamics of mountain plants exhibit large variability with species expanding, shifting, or shrinking their elevational range. Using a dataset of more than 1 million records of common and red-listed native and alien plants, we could reconstruct range dynamics of 1,479 species of the European Alps over the last 30 y. Red-listed species were not able to track climate warming at the leading edge of their distribution, and further experienced a strong erosion of rear margins, resulting in an overall rapid range contraction. Common natives also contracted their range, albeit less drastically, through faster upslope shift at the rear than at the leading edge. By cont

SUBMITTER: Geppert C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10041064 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature