Rapid climate change is eliminating thermal barriers in mountain environments, facilitating the upward migration of invasive plant species into previously inhospitable alpine zones. To account for the non-equilibrium state inherent to alien taxa, we investigated the potential distribution of Senecio inaequidens DC. in South Tyrol (Italy). We calibrated ensemble Species Distribution Models (SDMs) across a comprehensive Alpine region. This process incorporated expert monitoring data from the Museum of Nature South Tyrol alongside quality-filtered citizen science records from iNaturalist and GBIF. Model transferability was tested with spatial block cross-validation. Pseudo-absences were drawn in proportion to survey effort, to respect the non-equilibrium, expanding range of the species, and calibration accuracy was evaluated with the Continuous Boyce Index. We then projected habitat suitability under three Shared Socioeconomic Pathways for 2055 and 2085. Contrary to the upslope retreat often observed in native flora, S. inaequidens was projected to retain almost its entire current realized niche in valley floors while colonizing higher elevations, with a maximum expansion of + 157.7
Alpine floras include species with different degrees of dependence on high-elevation environments, but the functional and phylogenetic basis of alpine specialization remains poorly explored in Mediterranean mountain systems. Here, we examined Poaceae species occurring above the treeline in the Western Taurus Mountains, a major high-mountain system of the eastern Mediterranean region. We classified 96 species from 32 genera and eight tribes into four elevational distribution categories following Körner’s framework, treating species restricted to the alpine belt as alpine specialists. We compiled eleven nominal morphological traits and plant height, tested trait associations with alpine specialization using Fisher’s exact tests with false discovery rate correction and assessed phylogenetic structure using Fritz and Purvis’ D and phylogenetic logistic regression. Alpine specialists comprised 21 species, nearly half of which were endemic, indicating a strong concentration of narrow-ranged taxa in the alpine belt. These species were significantly shorter than non-specialists and showed higher frequencies of a densely caespitose growth form, infolded leaf blades, dense head-like panicles and anemochory, whereas a therophyte life form, loosely branched growth and flat leaf blades were less frequent. Alpine specialization showed significant non-random phylogenetic clustering, but no strong phylogenetic conservatism. Phylogenetic logistic models identified dense head-like panicles and infolded leaf blades as the most consistent predictors of alpine specialization, with additional support for densely caespitose growth and anemochory in some models.
High-Andean grasslands, located between 3,500 and 5,000 m in the Tropical Andes, cover approximately 16
Plant species differ in their nutrient uptake, yet the relative importance of species identity versus environmental variables in shaping foliar elemental composition remains poorly understood. We collected foliar samples from ten alpine plant species across 21 plots spanning an elevational gradient of 1000 m on the silicate-based soils of Schrankogel, Austria. Our aim was to disentangle the effects of species identity, site properties, and leaf traits on the concentrations of 16 elements. Foliar elemental concentrations showed a clear correlation structure, reflecting similarities in uptake mechanisms, physiological function, and stoichiometric requirements. Species identity was the dominant driver, explaining 41
