European mountain peaks are seeing an increase in plant species due to rising temperatures, but this is leading to a rise in local extinctions
The peaks of European mountains such as the Pyrenees or the Sierra Nevada may be gaining plant species as the climate warms, but this apparent increase in biodiversity is masking a growing wave of local extinctions. These are the main conclusions of a study published in the journal Science, which includes Spanish participation and analyses nearly a thousand vegetation plots spread across 62 European mountain peaks. The reason is that higher-altitude mountain regions have gained plant species in recent decades as plants from lower altitudes have expanded up the slopes, but this may mask the decline or disappearance of specialised, high-altitude resident species.
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