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Research article2013Peer reviewedOpen access

Ecological niche shifts of understorey plants along a latitudinal gradient of temperate forests in north-western Europe

Wasof, Safaa; Lenoir, Jonathan; Gallet-Moron, Emilie; Jamoneau, Aurélien; Brunet, Jörg; Cousins, S A O; De Frenne, Pieter; Diekmann, M.; Hermy, Martin; Kolb, Anette; Liira, Jaan; Verheyen, K; Wulf, Monika; Decocq, Guillaume

Abstract

Main conclusions Forest understorey plants shifted their realized niche along the latitudinal gradient, suggesting local adaptation and/or plasticity. This macroecological pattern casts doubt on the idea that the realized niche is stable in space and time, which is a key assumption of species distribution models used to predict the future of biodiversity, hence raising concern about predicted extinction rates.

Keywords

Beta diversity; climate change; detrended correspondence analyses; Ellenberg indicator values; forest understorey plant species; niche optimum; niche width; plant community; realized niche

Published in

Global Ecology and Biogeography
2013, Volume: 22, number: 10, pages: 1130-1140 Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL

    Sustainable Development Goals

    SDG13 Climate action
    SDG15 Life on land

    UKÄ Subject classification

    Botany
    Ecology
    Climate Research

    Publication identifier

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12073

    Permanent link to this page (URI)

    https://res.slu.se/id/publ/50598