Major changes in biodiversity in the Arctic

By olof [dot] lonnehed [at] science [dot] gu [dot] se (Olof Lönnehed) - published 8 May 2025

Close up picture of a Mountain birch. — Mountain birches are establishing themselves higher and higher up in the Swedish alpine meadows, often at the expense of other low-growing species that are shaded by the birch.

Global warming is causing rapid changes in vegetation in the Arctic. A major study in Nature with researchers from BECC-members at the University of Gothenburg shows large local differences in which species are favoured, and which are outcompeted due to climate change.

Rapid climate change is upending plant life in the Arctic. A new scientific study in Nature shows how one of the most fragile ecosystems on Earth is changing as warming is up to four times faster in the Arctic than on Earth on average. Scientists around the world have been studying the biological changes in more than 2 000 experimental plots in the northern polar region for 40 years.

“Changes in vegetation are an early warning signal that the entire ecosystem will change, with consequential effects on wildlife, humanity and the Earth's natural ability to store carbon,” says Anne Bjorkman, researcher in plant ecology at the University of Gothenburg.