Widespread thermophilization but weak link to climate warming in Europe’s summit plant communities

Recent changes in alpine vegetation are often attributed to climate warming, particularly community composition shifts towards more warmth-associated species, or thermophilization. Here we assess the link between thermophilization and warming across 53 European mountain summits. We combine long-term macroclimatic and microclimatic temperature time series with vegetation surveys in 724 permanent plots, monitored over 21 years, to evaluate a possible thermophilization signal and relate it to rates of change in 10 temperature metrics. We find evidence of both thermophilization of alpine plant communities and an increase in temperatures. However, although these two trends are related when averaged across mountain regions, their relationship is weak at the individual plot scale, especially when considering microclimatic temperature metrics. Instead, substrate conditions and particularly the availability of thermophilic colonizers in the surrounding vegetation have a major influence on plot-level thermophilization rates. We conclude that the response of plant communities to climate change strongly depends on the abiotic and biotic context, and intensified monitoring efforts are needed to reduce the resulting uncertainties.

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Journal
Nature Ecology & Evolution
Published
2026-08-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-026-03150-x
Primary Topic
Species Distribution and Climate Change
Type
article
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article

Widespread thermophilization but weak link to climate warming in Europe’s summit plant communities

Pieter De Frenne, Johannes Wessely, Khatuna Gigauri, Tudor‐Mihai Ursu et al.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
Species Distribution and Climate Change
article

Widespread thermophilization but weak link to climate warming in Europe’s summit plant communities

Pieter De Frenne, Johannes Wessely, Khatuna Gigauri, Tudor‐Mihai Ursu, Kryštof Chytrý, Harald Pauli, Andreas Kollert, Jean‐Paul Theurillat, Karl Hülber, Angela Stanisci, Sonja Wipf, Peter Barančok, Pau Carnicero, Andrea Lamprecht, Katharina Kagerl, Ilektra Remoundou, Simone Orsenigo, Panagiotis Nyktas, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Christopher Andrews, Mary Carolina García Lino, Juan J. Jiménez, Christian Rixen, Thomas Vanneste, Michele Carbognani, Martina Petey, Raphael S. von Büren, Manuela Winkler, Andreas Mayr, Juan Lorite, Umberto Morra di Cella, Mihai Puşcaş, Patrick Saccone, Philippe Choler, Stefan Dullinger, Norbert Helm, Otar Abdaladze, Jonathan Lenoir, Dietmar Moser, Michele Di Musciano, Jan Dick, Andreas Hilpold, Andrej Palaj, Martin Rutzinger, Johannes Hausharter, Emmanuel Corcket, José Luis Benito Alonso, Christophe Randin, Eva M. Cañadas
article en

Abstract

Recent changes in alpine vegetation are often attributed to climate warming, particularly community composition shifts towards more warmth-associated species, or thermophilization. Here we assess the link between thermophilization and warming across 53 European mountain summits. We combine long-term macroclimatic and microclimatic temperature time series with vegetation surveys in 724 permanent plots, monitored over 21 years, to evaluate a possible thermophilization signal and relate it to rates of change in 10 temperature metrics. We find evidence of both thermophilization of alpine plant communities and an increase in temperatures. However, although these two trends are related when averaged across mountain regions, their relationship is weak at the individual plot scale, especially when considering microclimatic temperature metrics. Instead, substrate conditions and particularly the availability of thermophilic colonizers in the surrounding vegetation have a major influence on plot-level thermophilization rates. We conclude that the response of plant communities to climate change strongly depends on the abiotic and biotic context, and intensified monitoring efforts are needed to reduce the resulting uncertainties.

Nature Ecology & Evolution
Agenzia Regionale per la Protezione Ambientale del Piemonte (IT), University of Geneva (CH), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ES), University of Parma (IT), Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (GR), Meise Botanic Garden (BE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Molise (IT), University of Vienna (AT), Eurac Research (IT), Austrian Academy of Sciences (AT), University of Crete (GR), University of Antwerp (BE), Universidad de Granada (ES), Ilia State University (GE), University of Basel (CH), Universität Innsbruck (AT), Utrecht University (NL), Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse (FR), Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), Aix-Marseille Université (FR), University of Pavia (IT), University of L'Aquila (IT), Swiss National Park (CH), Babeș-Bolyai University (RO), Georgian Institute of Public Affairs (GE), Ghent University (BE), Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research (AT), Antwerp Management School (BE), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (GB), Institut Botànic de Barcelona (ES), Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK), National Institute of Research and Development for Biological Sciences (RO), Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés (FR), Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos (CH), Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (ES), Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Botany (CZ), Laboratoire d'Écologie Alpine (FR), Centre Alpien de Phytogéographie (CH), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), Université de Picardie Jules Verne (FR), Université Savoie Mont Blanc (FR), Université Grenoble Alpes (FR), BOKU University (AT), University of Bologna (IT), University of Twente (NL), University of Lausanne (CH)
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Species Distribution and Climate Change
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