UP News - University of Potsdam

Media information 11-10-2024 / No. 095

Photo : Dr. Thilo Heinken

Abundant young stands of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) – in this case alongside Norway maple (Acer platanoides) – are typical of many forests in Brandenburg and Berlin. It is one of the species that “migrate” westward at a speed of several kilometers per year. The main reason is atmospheric nitrogen deposition.

Climate change has been jumbling ecosystems around the world for the past few decades. A common assumption is that many species are shifting their geographic ranges towards the poles as a result of these transformations. However, current research findings suggest that there are other human-caused environmental changes that are also influencing the geographical distribution of species. An international research team that includes Dr. Thilo Heinken from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biology at the University of Potsdam was able to show that many European forest plants tend to “migrate” westward – following the path of large nitrogen depositions in the soil resulting from industrial activities, traffic, and land use by humans. The results of the study have now been published in the journal “Science.”

For their study, the researchers examined the distribution of 266 European forest plant species over a period of up to 84 years in almost 3,000 forest stands, including several forest areas in Brandenburg and some of the most emblematic forests in Europe, such as the Białowieża primeval forest in Poland. The data comes from repeated surveys across Europe conducted between 1933 and 2017 showing where and how quickly species “migrate.” According to the analysis, European forest plants shift their geographical ranges at an average speed of 3.56 kilometers per year. Around 39 percent of the species shifted to the west, but only 15 percent to the north: That means a shift to the west was 2.6 times more likely! This contradicts the widespread assumption that rising temperatures caused by climate change are driving many species to cooler regions in the North. However, this development can also be explained by human-caused environmental changes: “It’s not climate change, but high nitrogen depositions into the soil from air pollution that best explain these westward movements,” says Potsdam biologist Dr. Thilo Heinken. “Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear to be complex and are determined by an interplay of multiple environmental changes rather than the effects of climate change alone.”

The researchers emphasize that a better understanding of these complex interactions is essential both for future sustainable land use and for the preservation of biodiversity as well as the continued existence of the ecosystem services many ecosystems offer.

Link to publication:
Pieter Sanczuk, Kris Verheyen, Jonathan Lenoir, et al., Unexpected westward range shifts in European forest plants link to nitrogen deposition, Science (2024), DOI: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.ado0878

Photo:
Abundant young stands of sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) – in this case alongside Norway maple (Acer platanoides) – are typical of many forests in Brandenburg and Berlin. It is one of the species that “migrate” westward at a speed of several kilometers per year. The main reason is atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Photo: Dr. Thilo Heinken

Contact:
Dr. Thilo Heinken, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, General Botany Group
Phone: +49 331 977-4854
E-Mail: thilo.heinkenuuni-potsdampde

Media information 11-10-2024 / No. 095

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