Climate change and biological invasions are two major drivers of global biodiversity loss, altering community compositions and species distributions, with significant economic and ecological impacts. Rising temperatures increase the prevalence of warm-adapted species in ecosystems, a process termed thermophilization. However, the role of alien species in reshaping community dynamics under climate warming remains understudied. In Europe, where climate warming and alien plant spread are accelerating, addressing this knowledge gap is important for biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, and management decisions.
This project aims to comprehensively analyze the thermophilization patterns of European plant communities over recent decades, focusing on how alien species influence community composition in response to climate warming and the underlying ecological mechanisms. Specifically, the project will: (1) assess the thermophilization pattern across different habitats, (2) disentangle the impacts of native and alien species on thermophilization, and (3) elucidate the mechanisms by which alien species drive thermophilization through analysing species turnover. This project will enhance our understanding of the dual threats posed by climate change and biological invasions to European ecosystems, and will develop a thermal optimum index dataset for European vascular plants, providing essential support for subsequent community dynamics modelling, species risk assessment, and conservation prioritization.
