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On March 18, 2026, the journal Nature published the article Contrasting thermophilization between European forests, grasslands and alpine peaks. Among its co-authors are Jozef Kollár and Róbert Kanka from the Institute of Landscape Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS).The study presents important findings from an international research effort led by the Forest & Nature Lab (ForNaLab) at Ghent University, with significant contributions from the Research Institute for Nature and Forests (INBO) and the Institute of Landscape Ecology, SAS.

The research shows how climate change is reshaping plant communities across Europe. It is based on a unique dataset of more than 6,000 vegetation records collected over 12 to 78 years across forests, grasslands, and alpine environments.

Main findings

• Thermophilization is widespread: Plant communities across Europe are shifting toward species that prefer warmer conditions, while cold-adapted species are declining.
• Mountain ecosystems are most affected: In the Alps and other mountain regions, cold-adapted species are disappearing at a particularly rapid rate.
• Forests and grasslands: These ecosystems show a marked increase in heat-loving species, mainly due to the arrival of new species, while also gradually losing cold-adapted ones.
• Climate debt: In all ecosystems, plant communities are responding more slowly than the climate is changing. This creates a “climate debt,” meaning vegetation is no longer in equilibrium with local climate conditions, posing a risk to biodiversity and ecosystem stability.

Why the findings matter

“The results show that climate warming does not have uniform effects across ecosystems. Each ecosystem responds differently depending on its structure and composition. This means that adaptation strategies must be tailored to specific ecosystem types,” explains Jozef Kollár from the Institute of Landscape Ecology, SAS.

“Our study demonstrates that there is no single narrative for the impacts of climate change. While mountain regions are losing species that cannot survive elsewhere, forests and grasslands are primarily shifting toward heat-tolerant species. This has fundamental implications for biodiversity conservation in Europe,” adds Professor Pieter De Frenne from Ghent University.

About the study

The research is the result of collaboration among dozens of scientists from Europe, North America, and Asia. The dataset combines long-term monitoring of plant communities across multiple ecosystem types. For Europe, this represents the most comprehensive comparative analysis of ecosystem responses to climate change to date.

Source and photo: Jozef Kollár and Róbert Kanka, Institute of Landscape Ecology, SAS

Prepared by: Andrea Nozdrovická