Late 21st-Century Climate and Land Use Driven Loss of Plant Diversity in African Mountains.

ABSTRACT: With the 1.5°C-5°C increase in global temperature projected for this century, many plant species are expected to shift their distribution ranges to track their environmental requirements. Across several mountain regions, responses to climate change like upslope shifts may result in accelerated rates of species turnover, species richness increases in upper montane belts, and amplified habitat losses. Yet, evidence of how such processes may influence plant diversity in Africa is still scarce. Here, using a species distribution modeling approach, we quantify and map how different scenarios of climatic and land-use changes may affect plant species ranges in African mountains. Using individually tuned models and dispersal buffers, we compared distribution losses and potential expansion through

SUBMITTER: Vidal Junior JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12451491 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature