There is a common belief that species are generally moving northwards, due to climate change, with some forced out of hotter southern Europe and others suited to warm conditions now able to establish in previously cooler northern regions.
There is a common belief that species are generally moving northwards, due to climate change, with some forced out of hotter southern Europe and others suited to warm conditions now able to establish in previously cooler northern regions.
But an unexpected finding from a new study published in Science has challenged this widely held view, by showing that many forest plant species are actually moving westwards across Europe. This shift in distribution is linked to high nitrogen pollution levels in western Europe, according to the European research team, led by Ghent University and also including the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).
Nitrogen is a key nutrient that supports plant growth. Excess amounts of the compound in the environment caused by emissions from agriculture, industry and transport support the establishment of some highly competitive species, often at the expense of more sensitive plants.
Read more at: UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Plants below the canopy in temperate forests such as Wytham Woods support biodiversity and important ecosystem functions such as pollination. (Photo Credit: Charles George)
