Accelerated increase in plant species richness on mountain summits is linked to warming

Manuel J. Steinbauer (), John-Arvid Grytnes, Gerald Jurasinski, Aino Kulonen, Jonathan Lenoir, Harald Pauli, Christian Rixen, Manuela Winkler, Manfred Bardy-Durchhalter, Elena Barni, Anne D. Bjorkman, Frank T. Breiner, Sarah Burg, Patryk Czortek, Melissa A. Dawes, Anna Delimat, Stefan Dullinger, Brigitta Erschbamer, Vivian A. Felde, Olatz Fernández-Arberas, Kjetil F. Fossheim, Daniel Gómez-García, Damien Georges, Erlend T. Grindrud, Sylvia Haider, Siri V. Haugum, Hanne Henriksen, María J. Herreros, Bogdan Jaroszewicz, Francesca Jaroszynska, Robert Kanka, Jutta Kapfer, Kari Klanderud, Ingolf Kühn, Andrea Lamprecht, Magali Matteodo, Umberto Morra Cella, Signe Normand, Arvid Odland, Siri L. Olsen, Sara Palacio, Martina Petey, Veronika Piscová, Blazena Sedlakova, Klaus Steinbauer, Veronika Stöckli, Jens-Christian Svenning, Guido Teppa, Jean-Paul Theurillat, Pascal Vittoz, Sarah J. Woodin, Niklaus E. Zimmermann and Sonja Wipf ()
Additional contact information
Manuel J. Steinbauer: Aarhus University
John-Arvid Grytnes: University of Bergen
Gerald Jurasinski: University of Rostock
Aino Kulonen: University of Bergen
Jonathan Lenoir: CNRS, UMR 7058 EDYSAN, Université de Picardie Jules Verne
Harald Pauli: GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW-IGF)
Christian Rixen: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Manuela Winkler: GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW-IGF)
Manfred Bardy-Durchhalter: GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW-IGF)
Elena Barni: University of Torino
Anne D. Bjorkman: Aarhus University
Frank T. Breiner: University of Lausanne
Sarah Burg: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Patryk Czortek: Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Melissa A. Dawes: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Anna Delimat: Polish Academy of Sciences
Stefan Dullinger: University of Vienna
Brigitta Erschbamer: University of Innsbruck
Vivian A. Felde: University of Bergen
Olatz Fernández-Arberas: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC)
Kjetil F. Fossheim: University of Bergen
Daniel Gómez-García: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC)
Damien Georges: Aarhus University
Erlend T. Grindrud: Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Sylvia Haider: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Siri V. Haugum: University of Bergen
Hanne Henriksen: Norwegian University of Life Sciences
María J. Herreros: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC)
Bogdan Jaroszewicz: Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Francesca Jaroszynska: University of Bergen
Robert Kanka: Slovak Academy of Sciences
Jutta Kapfer: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research
Kari Klanderud: Norwegian University of Life Sciences
Ingolf Kühn: German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Andrea Lamprecht: GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW-IGF)
Magali Matteodo: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Umberto Morra Cella: Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley
Signe Normand: Aarhus University
Arvid Odland: University College of Southeast Norway
Siri L. Olsen: Norwegian Institute for Nature Research
Sara Palacio: Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC)
Martina Petey: Environmental Protection Agency of Aosta Valley
Veronika Piscová: Slovak Academy of Sciences
Blazena Sedlakova: Administration of the Tatra National Park
Klaus Steinbauer: GLORIA Coordination, Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW-IGF)
Veronika Stöckli: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF
Jens-Christian Svenning: Aarhus University
Guido Teppa: University of Torino
Jean-Paul Theurillat: Centre Alpien de Phytogéographie, Fondation J.-M. Aubert
Pascal Vittoz: University of Lausanne
Sarah J. Woodin: University of Aberdeen
Niklaus E. Zimmermann: Snow and Landscape Research (WSL)
Sonja Wipf: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF

Nature, 2018, vol. 556, issue 7700, 231-234

Abstract: Abstract Globally accelerating trends in societal development and human environmental impacts since the mid-twentieth century1–7 are known as the Great Acceleration and have been discussed as a key indicator of the onset of the Anthropocene epoch 6 . While reports on ecological responses (for example, changes in species range or local extinctions) to the Great Acceleration are multiplying8, 9, it is unknown whether such biotic responses are undergoing a similar acceleration over time. This knowledge gap stems from the limited availability of time series data on biodiversity changes across large temporal and geographical extents. Here we use a dataset of repeated plant surveys from 302 mountain summits across Europe, spanning 145 years of observation, to assess the temporal trajectory of mountain biodiversity changes as a globally coherent imprint of the Anthropocene. We find a continent-wide acceleration in the rate of increase in plant species richness, with five times as much species enrichment between 2007 and 2016 as fifty years ago, between 1957 and 1966. This acceleration is strikingly synchronized with accelerated global warming and is not linked to alternative global change drivers. The accelerating increases in species richness on mountain summits across this broad spatial extent demonstrate that acceleration in climate-induced biotic change is occurring even in remote places on Earth, with potentially far-ranging consequences not only for biodiversity, but also for ecosystem functioning and services.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0005-6

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