Plant community responses to Scotland's changing environment

Abstract

The ecological dangers of global climatic change are frequently discussed in relation to their threat to biodiversity. Oceanic Scotland, however, differs in many respects from elsewhere, both in the nature of the current climatic change and the biodiversity of the flora on which it reacts. Scottish habitats, such as those in the more peripheral regions, are rarely rich in species and biodiversity may not be a relevant concept for assessing the impact of environmentaI change. In species-poor habitats ecosystem health may be a more useful measure of potential survival capacity than species wealth. Examination of the homeostatic properties of plant communities, and their ability to withstand environmental change, could provide a more practical method of predicting which sections of the Scottish flora are at risk from climatic change as well as indicating possible remedial action. Case histories from coastal, wetland, forest and mountain sites are discussed in terms of their present ecological robustness and future potential for surviving expected changes in the Scottish environment.

Projected Range Contractions of European Protected Oceanic Montane Plant Communities: Focus on Climate Change Impacts Is Essential for Their Future Conservation

“…This extinction risk is especially high in oceanic mountain ranges, as vulnerable species in these areas are likely to experience a physiologically-induced decrease in competitive ability in response to climate change [24] . Additionally, the oceanic mountain ranges of Europe tend to be lower than continental ranges, and therefore have no nival zone to accommodate upward migration of vulnerable species [25] . However, relatively few studies have been carried out to date on climate change effects on oceanic and coastal montane vegetation [26] and its responses may be different.…”

Potential effects of climate change on plant species in the Faroe Islands

“…Vegetation changes in oceanic and coastal areas have in general had little attention compared to continental areas. Because of a relatively small temperature range during the year, oceanic and coastal areas are different from continental areas and may respond differently, thus requiring individual consideration (Crawford, 2000, 2001). In particular, the North Atlantic oceanic areas have been little studied in this regard, but according to predictions, global warming in oceanic areas in NW Europe will be accompanied by increased cloudiness and precipitation (IPCC, 2001).…”

“…The effect of climate change in oceanic mountains is buffered by the ocean due to the limited annual temperature range (Crawford, 2000). However, the relative scarcity of species on mountains in oceanic areas of south‐western Norway and the Scottish Highland is considered partly to be due to the effect of mild winter temperatures (Dahl, 1990; Crawford, 2001). In Norway, these species, absent from mountainous areas, are described as south‐west coast avoiders (Dahl, 1951, 1990).…”

Developing site scale projections of climate change in the Scottish Highlands

“…Scotland's highest mountains are located within the Atlantic biogeographic zone (European Commission 2005), and the relatively mild, wet climate renders species here particularly sensitive to changes in the winter and spring half year. While it might be expected that oceanic mountains would be buffered against climatic change by their more limited annual temperature range, by comparison with higher mountains such as the Alps, the lack of a nival zone limits the potential upward migration of species (Crawford 2001), at least for marginal arctic-alpine associations already near their southern range limit and snow bed associations. Additionally, if changes in climate lead to a reduction in the severity of the abiotic environment, this may lead to increased inter-specific competition associated with the possible invasion of species currently limited to lower elevations (Ellis & Good 2005, Ellis & McGowan 2006).…”