Climate warming is triggering a steady increase in the mean thermal optimum of plant communities. We show that this increase reflects the dieback of cold-adapted species rather than the arrival of warmer-adapted species, with negative effects on local diversity and mutually cancelling effects on community heterogeneity.
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This is a summary of: Borderieux, J. et al. Extinction drives recent thermophilization but does not trigger homogenization in forest understorey. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02362-3 (2024).
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Extinction drives the climate-change-induced reshuffling of forest plant communities. Nat Ecol Evol 8, 608–609 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02374-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-024-02374-z
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