Cenozoic losses of tree diversity constrain climatic adaptation of Western and Central European forests
Vincent Wilkens, Anna Walentowitz, Sebastian Teichert, Lisa Hülsmann, Nicolai Nürk, Ole R Vetaas, Carl Beierkuhnlein · 2026
Read Cenozoic losses of tree diversity constrain climatic adaptation of Western and Central European forests by Vincent Wilkens, Anna Walentowitz, Sebastian Teichert, Lisa Hülsmann, Nicolai Nürk, Ole R Vetaas, Carl Beierkuhnlein (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13582922.txt.
Description
Vincent Wilkens and co-authors blame ancient tree losses for Europe's tight climate options today in a 2026 study. Ice age swings culled the region's tree genera, and the survivors may lack the heat tolerance modern warming demands.
Fossil records show genus richness fell three quarters from its warm Miocene peak, mostly at the Plio Pleistocene turn. Climate models of each genus show the flora sliding toward cold, dry edges. Heat loving genera that could thrive now, like chestnut and walnut kin, were among the lost. The authors offer the past as a guide for replanting diversity.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Vincent Wilkens, Anna Walentowitz, Sebastian Teichert, Lisa Hülsmann, Nicolai Nürk, Ole R Vetaas, Carl Beierkuhnlein |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 48 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |