Description
Better understanding of interactions between climate and species ranges is detrimental for effective conservation of biodiversity. The main aim of the project is to understand how climate changes cause and limit species range shifts and changes in plant communities. We expect to improve understanding of species responses to climate change. The historical botanical datasets will be resampled to compare changes in vegetation to changes of driving forces (e.g. climate, land use). The outputs will be of use to policy makers and protected area managers. Several scientists in the early stages of their careers will benefit from networking and training. The Norwegian partners will feed in expertise on modeling of climate-linked vegetation dynamics. The collaboration will lay the foundation for future exploration in similar thematic areas. The project will strengthen capacity and increase competence of involved partners via cooperation between the leading scientific institutions in Poland and Norway. It will increase mobility of researchers, allowing them to learn new approaches and exchange experiences.
Summary of project results
Species ranges track climate in an individualistic manner and many still defy detailed prediction. In effect our knowledge on climate change induced changes in species composition of plant communities is far from complete. Better understanding is imperative if biodiversity is to be protected effectively and the right choices made in the face of future climate change. In the framework of the project we re-located and re-established several hundreds of sample plots in both countries, which will enable future replication of the surveys (and monitoring of biodiversity changes). This builds a good prospects for further collaboration between the partners. Sample plots were used to gather vegetation data, which was fed to digital databases (both historical and contemporary data). The databases were shared between all partners and secured by two leading partners of the project (University of Warsaw in Poland and University of Bergen in Norway). Additionally historical and resampled data from mountain summits was entered in open-access database of SummitDiv initiative. Analyses of data were carried in relation to drivers including climate and grazing/browsing pressure. Results of the project were presented at 33 conferences and seminars (most of them were international) and published in 6 peer-reviewed publications. Five female researchers were supported by the project (three from Norway, two from Poland), which promoted their professional careers. The project paid a particular attention to gender equality issues, assuring that all jobs in the project were offered in open, not-discriminative way. All involved researchers from all institutions benefited of increased mobility during joint field campaigns in Poland and in Norway, including the PhD student and postdoc who spent several months each in Norwegian partner institutes. It allowed efficient knowledge transfer between project partners and promoted close collaboration.
Summary of bilateral results
On a bilateral level the project allowed sharing, between consortium members, results gathered during the project but also historical data and data collected prior to the project implementation. Without the project such data would not become available to partners. The knowledge was shared between partners and improved understanding of ecological processes shaping distribution of plant species and in effect changing species assemblages. Funding of the project strengthened existing relations between single researchers on both sides and reshaped them into an institutional links, expanding their range also to Polish and Norwegian research entities, which did not have any links on the other side. In effect some low-cost unofficial side-projects were started (e.g. joint analysis of data not related to the project). Very important role was paid by high statistical skills of Norwegian partners, which were passed to Polish partners and allowed more in-depth data analyses, increasing chances for high level publication of the project results.