Elevational shifts in tree community composition in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest related to climate change

Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Vinicius Bastazini and their colleagues summarized their findings from a recent paper published in the Journal of Vegetation Science (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jvs.13289), revealing that climate-driven species migration patterns and community composition changes in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are highly variable. They found that while lowland-submontane forests exhibit diverse responses to new climatic conditions, downward migrations are more common, likely influenced by factors such as biotic interactions and land use. In contrast, montane forests show upward migrations, suggesting increased risks for cold-demanding species due to thermophilization. Their findings provide the first evidence of climate change-induced community shifts in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, a world-renowned and highly threatened biodiversity hotspot. Read more about their findings on the blog Geekcologist: Ecology and Modelling.