To disappear or to hold on—the fate of Europe’s mountain flora in a warming world

To disappear or to hold on—the fate of Europe’s mountain flora in a warming world | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL Oikos This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 12 May 2026 V1 Latest version Share on To disappear or to hold on—the fate of Europe’s mountain flora in a warming world Authors : Thomas Vanneste 0000-0001-5296-917X [email protected] , Pieter Sanczuk 0000-0003-1107-4905 [email protected] , Filip Vandelook 0000-0003-4591-5557 [email protected] , Kris Verheyen [email protected] , Pieter De Frenne [email protected] , and Julia Kemppinen 0000-0001-7521-7229 [email protected] [email protected] Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003024/v1 74 views 29 downloads Contents Abstract Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract 1. Europe’s largest mountain ranges are hotspots of climate change with potentially profound consequences for its rich and unique flora. Recent evidence is pointing towards strong compositional changes in mountain plant assemblages and the loss of cold-adapted species. Yet, other studies demonstrate remarkable resilience in these communities owing to their specialised life histories, long generation times and evolutionary history as well as myriad microrefugia brought about by complex terrain and topography. 2. To help solve this apparent ambiguity, we here review how recent climate change is locally impacting mountain floral composition and diversity across Europe. Our review includes different autotrophic taxa ranging from shrubs and ferns to herbaceous species as well as lichens and bryophytes. Particular attention is paid to the importance of microclimates and changing snow conditions in shaping mountain plant community dynamics as well as species-specific responses to a changing abiotic and biotic context. 3. We show that climate-change impacts on European mountain flora are multifaceted and highly context dependent. Indirect effects of vegetation changes and novel biotic interactions due to lowland species colonisations and shrubification are likely to dominate at lower elevations, while at higher elevations, demographic inertia and microclimatic heterogeneity can, at least to some extent, buffer the climate-driven loss of native mountain flora. 4. Synthesis. By linking and comparing insights from mountains across Europe, our review provides a critical perspective on mountain flora’s sensitivity to climate change, thus supporting more informed conservation strategies for mountain biodiversity. Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 12 May 2026 Collection Oikos Keywords mountain flora microclimate alpine grasslands plant community ecology global change plant ecology biogeography microclimates tundra arctic Mountain plants Cryptogams Geodiversity Global change Microclimate Snow plant ecology biogeography microclimates tundra arctic microclimate plant functional traits Arctic and alpine tundra geoecology botany mountain flora microclimate alpine grasslands plant community ecology global change Authors Affiliations Thomas Vanneste 0000-0001-5296-917X [email protected] View all articles by this author Pieter Sanczuk 0000-0003-1107-4905 [email protected] Universiteit Gent Faculteit Bio-Ingenieurswetenschappen, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium View all articles by this author Filip Vandelook 0000-0003-4591-5557 [email protected] Universiteit Gent Faculteit Bio-Ingenieurswetenschappen, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium View all articles by this author Kris Verheyen [email protected] Universiteit Gent Faculteit Bio-Ingenieurswetenschappen, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium View all articles by this author Pieter De Frenne [email protected] Universiteit Gent Faculteit Bio-Ingenieurswetenschappen, Gontrode-Melle, Belgium View all articles by this author Julia Kemppinen 0000-0001-7521-7229 [email protected] [email protected] View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 74 views 29 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Thomas Vanneste, Pieter Sanczuk, Filip Vandelook, et al. To disappear or to hold on—the fate of Europe’s mountain flora in a warming world. Authorea . 12 May 2026. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22541/authorea.15003024/v1 If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download. For more information or tips please see 'Downloading to a citation manager' in the Help menu . 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