Arctic plant study suggests the rate of climate change threatens to exceed the adaptive capacity of species

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A research group at the Finnish Museum of Natural History is investigating the adaptive potential of plant species amid a warming climate. Their recent study investigates the Siberian primrose, a plant species that occurs on the coasts of the Bothnian Bay and Arctic Ocean. Climate change is threatening the viability of the species.

The paper is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

"The Siberian primrose is a good example of a species threatened by rapidly advancing climate change. It cannot migrate to more favorable conditions due to geographic constraints, leaving adaptation in its current habitat as its only survival option," says Adjunct Professor Marko Hyvärinen from the Finnish Museum of Natural History.

The study revealed that the Siberian primrose may only be able to adapt to climate change if the warming can be limited in accordance with the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. This requires effective mitigation of climate change. Otherwise, the flowers and other important traits of the Siberian primrose are unlikely to have the time to evolve quickly enough to survive the changing conditions.

Many wild species have limited capacity to adapt to a warming climate

"Our research suggests that the evolutionary potential of wild species is seriously limited in the face of rapidly advancing climate change. This means that the future of many species is at stake, unless climate change is effectively curbed," says Postdoctoral Researcher Anniina Mattila from the Finnish Museum of Natural History.

Particularly in the case of geographically restricted species, such as many specialized plant species surrounded by unsuitable habitats, conservation measures may be necessary to prevent extinction.

The study emphasizes the need for proactive measures to protect species threatened by climate change. For example, translocations may help species to adapt to new conditions.

Knowledge of the adaptive capacity of species from studies such as the one on the Siberian primrose can help in targeting conservation measures and motivates the development of methods to conserve species threatened by climate change.

However, according to the researchers, the most critical action is to strive to limit climate change, thus allowing species to adapt naturally.

More information: Anniina L. K. Mattila et al, The potential for evolutionary rescue in an Arctic seashore plant threatened by climate change, Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2024). DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.1351

Journal information: Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Provided by University of Helsinki