Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition

Pieter Sanczuk; Kris Verheyen; Jonathan Lenoir; Florian Zellweger; Jonas J. Lembrechts; Francisco Rodríguez-Sánchez; Lander Baeten; Markus Bernhardt-Römermann; Karen De Pauw; Pieter Vangansbeke; Michael P. Perring; Imre Berki; Anne D. Bjorkman; Jörg Brunet; Markéta Chudomelová; Emiel De Lombaerde; Guillaume Decocq; Thomas Dirnböck; Tomasz Durak; Caroline Greiser; Radim Hédl; Thilo Heinken; Ute Jandt; Bogdan Jaroszewicz; Martin Kopecký; Dries Landuyt; Martin Macek; František Máliš; Tobias Naaf; Thomas A. Nagel; Petr Petřík; Kamila Reczyńska; Wolfgang Schmidt; Tibor Standovár; Ingmar R. Staude; Krzysztof Świerkosz; Balázs Teleki; Thomas Vanneste; Ondrej Vild; Donald Waller; Pieter De Frenne

doi:10.1126/science.ado0878

Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition

Pieter Sanczuk^*, Kris Verheyen, Jonathan Lenoir, Florian Zellweger, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Francisco Rodríguez-Sánchez, Lander Baeten, Markus Bernhardt-Römermann, Karen De Pauw, Pieter Vangansbeke, Michael P. Perring, Imre Berki, Anne D. Bjorkman, Jörg Brunet, Markéta Chudomelová, Emiel De Lombaerde, Guillaume Decocq, Thomas Dirnböck, Tomasz Durak, Caroline GreiserRadim Hédl, Thilo Heinken, Ute Jandt, Bogdan Jaroszewicz, Martin Kopecký, Dries Landuyt, Martin Macek, František Máliš, Tobias Naaf, Thomas A. Nagel, Petr Petřík, Kamila Reczyńska, Wolfgang Schmidt, Tibor Standovár, Ingmar R. Staude, Krzysztof Świerkosz, Balázs Teleki, Thomas Vanneste, Ondrej Vild, Donald Waller, Pieter De Frenne

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

Climate change is commonly assumed to induce species' range shifts toward the poles. Yet, other environmental changes may affect the geographical distribution of species in unexpected ways. Here, we quantify multidecadal shifts in the distribution of European forest plants and link these shifts to key drivers of forest biodiversity change: climate change, atmospheric deposition (nitrogen and sulfur), and forest canopy dynamics. Surprisingly, westward distribution shifts were 2.6 times more likely than northward ones. Not climate change, but nitrogen-mediated colonization events, possibly facilitated by the recovery from past acidifying deposition, best explain westward movements. Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear complex and are more likely driven by the interplay among several environmental changes than due to the exclusive effects of climate change alone.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	193-198
Number of pages	6
Journal	Science (New York, N.Y.)
Volume	386
Issue number	6718
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado0878
Publication status	Published - 10 Oct 2024

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Sanczuk, P., Verheyen, K., Lenoir, J., Zellweger, F., Lembrechts, J. J., Rodríguez-Sánchez, F., Baeten, L., Bernhardt-Römermann, M., De Pauw, K., Vangansbeke, P., Perring, M. P., Berki, I., Bjorkman, A. D., Brunet, J., Chudomelová, M., De Lombaerde, E., Decocq, G., Dirnböck, T., Durak, T., ... De Frenne, P. (2024). Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition. Science (New York, N.Y.), 386(6718), 193-198. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado0878

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title = "Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition",

abstract = "Climate change is commonly assumed to induce species' range shifts toward the poles. Yet, other environmental changes may affect the geographical distribution of species in unexpected ways. Here, we quantify multidecadal shifts in the distribution of European forest plants and link these shifts to key drivers of forest biodiversity change: climate change, atmospheric deposition (nitrogen and sulfur), and forest canopy dynamics. Surprisingly, westward distribution shifts were 2.6 times more likely than northward ones. Not climate change, but nitrogen-mediated colonization events, possibly facilitated by the recovery from past acidifying deposition, best explain westward movements. Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear complex and are more likely driven by the interplay among several environmental changes than due to the exclusive effects of climate change alone.",

author = "Pieter Sanczuk and Kris Verheyen and Jonathan Lenoir and Florian Zellweger and Lembrechts, {Jonas J.} and Francisco Rodr{\'i}guez-S{\'a}nchez and Lander Baeten and Markus Bernhardt-R{\"o}mermann and {De Pauw}, Karen and Pieter Vangansbeke and Perring, {Michael P.} and Imre Berki and Bjorkman, {Anne D.} and J{\"o}rg Brunet and Mark{\'e}ta Chudomelov{\'a} and {De Lombaerde}, Emiel and Guillaume Decocq and Thomas Dirnb{\"o}ck and Tomasz Durak and Caroline Greiser and Radim H{\'e}dl and Thilo Heinken and Ute Jandt and Bogdan Jaroszewicz and Martin Kopeck{\'y} and Dries Landuyt and Martin Macek and Franti{\v s}ek M{\'a}li{\v s} and Tobias Naaf and Nagel, {Thomas A.} and Petr Pet{\v r}{\'i}k and Kamila Reczy{\'n}ska and Wolfgang Schmidt and Tibor Standov{\'a}r and Staude, {Ingmar R.} and Krzysztof {\'S}wierkosz and Bal{\'a}zs Teleki and Thomas Vanneste and Ondrej Vild and Donald Waller and {De Frenne}, Pieter",

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Sanczuk, P, Verheyen, K, Lenoir, J, Zellweger, F, Lembrechts, JJ, Rodríguez-Sánchez, F, Baeten, L, Bernhardt-Römermann, M, De Pauw, K, Vangansbeke, P, Perring, MP, Berki, I, Bjorkman, AD, Brunet, J, Chudomelová, M, De Lombaerde, E, Decocq, G, Dirnböck, T, Durak, T, Greiser, C, Hédl, R, Heinken, T, Jandt, U, Jaroszewicz, B, Kopecký, M, Landuyt, D, Macek, M, Máliš, F, Naaf, T, Nagel, TA, Petřík, P, Reczyńska, K, Schmidt, W, Standovár, T, Staude, IR, Świerkosz, K, Teleki, B, Vanneste, T, Vild, O, Waller, D & De Frenne, P 2024, 'Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition', Science (New York, N.Y.), vol. 386, no. 6718, pp. 193-198. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ado0878

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AU - Sanczuk, Pieter

AU - Verheyen, Kris

AU - Lenoir, Jonathan

AU - Zellweger, Florian

AU - Lembrechts, Jonas J.

AU - Rodríguez-Sánchez, Francisco

AU - Baeten, Lander

AU - Bernhardt-Römermann, Markus

AU - De Pauw, Karen

AU - Vangansbeke, Pieter

AU - Perring, Michael P.

AU - Berki, Imre

AU - Bjorkman, Anne D.

AU - Brunet, Jörg

AU - Chudomelová, Markéta

AU - De Lombaerde, Emiel

AU - Decocq, Guillaume

AU - Dirnböck, Thomas

AU - Durak, Tomasz

AU - Greiser, Caroline

AU - Hédl, Radim

AU - Heinken, Thilo

AU - Jandt, Ute

AU - Jaroszewicz, Bogdan

AU - Kopecký, Martin

AU - Landuyt, Dries

AU - Macek, Martin

AU - Máliš, František

AU - Naaf, Tobias

AU - Nagel, Thomas A.

AU - Petřík, Petr

AU - Reczyńska, Kamila

AU - Schmidt, Wolfgang

AU - Standovár, Tibor

AU - Staude, Ingmar R.

AU - Świerkosz, Krzysztof

AU - Teleki, Balázs

AU - Vanneste, Thomas

AU - Vild, Ondrej

AU - Waller, Donald

AU - De Frenne, Pieter

PY - 2024/10/10

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N2 - Climate change is commonly assumed to induce species' range shifts toward the poles. Yet, other environmental changes may affect the geographical distribution of species in unexpected ways. Here, we quantify multidecadal shifts in the distribution of European forest plants and link these shifts to key drivers of forest biodiversity change: climate change, atmospheric deposition (nitrogen and sulfur), and forest canopy dynamics. Surprisingly, westward distribution shifts were 2.6 times more likely than northward ones. Not climate change, but nitrogen-mediated colonization events, possibly facilitated by the recovery from past acidifying deposition, best explain westward movements. Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear complex and are more likely driven by the interplay among several environmental changes than due to the exclusive effects of climate change alone.

AB - Climate change is commonly assumed to induce species' range shifts toward the poles. Yet, other environmental changes may affect the geographical distribution of species in unexpected ways. Here, we quantify multidecadal shifts in the distribution of European forest plants and link these shifts to key drivers of forest biodiversity change: climate change, atmospheric deposition (nitrogen and sulfur), and forest canopy dynamics. Surprisingly, westward distribution shifts were 2.6 times more likely than northward ones. Not climate change, but nitrogen-mediated colonization events, possibly facilitated by the recovery from past acidifying deposition, best explain westward movements. Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear complex and are more likely driven by the interplay among several environmental changes than due to the exclusive effects of climate change alone.

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U2 - 10.1126/science.ado0878

DO - 10.1126/science.ado0878

M3 - Article

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AN - SCOPUS:85206054251

SN - 0036-8075

VL - 386

SP - 193

EP - 198

JO - Science (New York, N.Y.)

JF - Science (New York, N.Y.)

IS - 6718

ER -

Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition

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