Persistence of arctic-alpine flora during 24,000 years of environmental change in the Polar Urals

• Published in: Scientific Reports
• Main Authors: Clarke, Charlotte, Edwards, Mary, Gielly, Ludovic, Ehrich, Dorothee, Hughes, Paul, Morozova, Liudmila, Haflidason, Haflidi, Mangerud, Jan, Svendsen, John Inge, Alsos, Inger
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Arctic; Climate change
• Online Access: https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/436901/; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/436901/1/Clarke_accepted_manuscript_Sci_Reports.docx; https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/436901/2/s41598_019_55989_9.pdf

Plants adapted to extreme conditions can be at high risk from climate change; arctic-alpine plants, in particular, could “run out of space” as they are out-competed by expansion of woody vegetation. Mountain regions could potentially provide safe sites for arctic-alpine plants in a warmer climate, but empirical evidence is fragmentary. Here we present a 24,000-year record of species persistence based on sedimentary ancient DNA (sedaDNA) from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye (Polar Urals). We provide robust evidence of long-term persistence of arctic-alpine plants through large-magnitude climate changes but document a decline in their diversity during a past expansion of woody vegetation. Nevertheless, most of the plants that were present during the last glacial interval, including all of the arctic-alpines, are still found in the region today. This underlines the conservation significance of mountain landscapes via their provision of a range of habitats that confer resilience to climate change, particularly for arctic-alpine taxa.