Rapid shifts in plant distribution with recent climate change

TLDR

Climate change is expected to shift plant distributions, and over the past 30 years Southern California has warmed, experienced greater precipitation variability, and seen reduced snow cover. The study compared plant cover surveys from 1977 and 2006–2007 along a 2,314‑m elevation gradient in the Santa Rosa Mountains, Southern California. The dominant plant species’ mean elevation rose about 65 m between surveys, a shift attributable to regional climate change rather than air pollution or fire frequency.

Abstract

A change in climate would be expected to shift plant distribution as species expand in newly favorable areas and decline in increasingly hostile locations. We compared surveys of plant cover that were made in 1977 and 2006-2007 along a 2,314-m elevation gradient in Southern California's Santa Rosa Mountains. Southern California's climate warmed at the surface, the precipitation variability increased, and the amount of snow decreased during the 30-year period preceding the second survey. We found that the average elevation of the dominant plant species rose by approximately 65 m between the surveys. This shift cannot be attributed to changes in air pollution or fire frequency and appears to be a consequence of changes in regional climate.