Changes in alpine plant population sizes in response to climate change

• Main Author: Rostö, Evelina
• Format: Bachelor Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: Uppsala universitet, Institutionen för biologisk grundutbildning 2020
• Subjects: Alpine plants; population dynamics; climate change; Botany; Botanik; Northern Sweden; Norrbotten
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:polar:diva-8611

Alpine plants are assumed to be in particular danger as the climate changes rapidly worldwide. Specialist alpine species in Norrbotten County, northern Sweden have been surveyed over the last 20 years, providing insight to population dynamics and how the plants might respond to the changing climate. The main current threat to the species is habitat destruction as the climate changes. Variation in the number of plants among populations and years, and correlations with environmental variables were examined. Some species had increased while others had decreased over the years. No uniform relationship for all species and populations were discovered, but some of the species exhibited relationships between population size changes and temperature and precipitation. However, if the future climate in Norrbotten County changes according to the predictions, the habitats of the specialist alpine plants may be severely altered, leaving the species with no alternative places to establish and grow.