Vegetation change on mountaintops in northern Sweden: Stable vascular‐plant but reordering of lichen and bryophyte communities

Alpine ecosystems harbor remarkably diverse and distinct plant communities that are characteristically limited to harsh, cold climatic conditions. As a result of thermal limitation species occurrence, mountainous considered be particularly sensitive climate change. Our understanding the impact change is mainly based on vascular plants however, whereas cryptogams (i.e., lichens bryophytes) generally neglected or simply as one functional group. Here we aimed improve our drivers underlying temporal changes in vegetation alpine ecosystems. To this end, repeatedly surveyed four mountain summits along an elevational gradient northern Sweden spanning 19-year period. results show remained relatively stable throughout study period, despite fluctuations terms ground cover richness shrubs graminoids. In contrast, both bryophytes substantially decreased diversity, leading alterations community composition were unrelated cover. Thermophilization was found only two intermediate summits. findings partially consistent with (long-term) climate-change impacts, argue local non-climatic such herbivory might offset responses warming. Hence, underline importance considering when evaluating biologically complex systems.