{"id":474,"date":"2026-01-05T11:44:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T11:44:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474"},"modified":"2026-01-06T09:34:59","modified_gmt":"2026-01-06T09:34:59","slug":"borealization-of-tundra-ecosystems-with-climate-and-land-use-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474","title":{"rendered":"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>We are happy to start the new year with the publication of the&nbsp;first topical&nbsp;review from the&nbsp;<strong>Nordic Borealization&nbsp;Network<\/strong>, where we introduce the concept of&nbsp;<strong>tundra borealization<\/strong>&nbsp;to describe northward and upward shifts of boreal species into tundra ecosystems \u2014 a key yet still underrecognized dimension of climate-driven ecological change.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this synthesis, we:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>clarify how&nbsp;<em>borealization<\/em>&nbsp;is defined across disciplines and environments&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>summarise&nbsp;evidence of plant and animal community changes in tundra systems&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>review methods for quantifying borealization&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>discuss how climate and land-use change drive species reorganization&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By bridging ecology, biogeography, climate science, and socio-ecological research, this work advances&nbsp;theoretical&nbsp;understanding of ecosystem responses to global environmental change. Given the implications for biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, climate&nbsp;feedbacks, and Arctic livelihoods, we hope it will support both research and adaptation efforts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2157\" height=\"1196\" src=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-485\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8083046683046684;width:674px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new.png 2157w, https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new-1024x568.png 1024w, https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new-768x426.png 768w, https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new-1536x852.png 1536w, https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/figure_5_new-2048x1136.png 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reference:&nbsp;<\/strong>Verdonen, M., Barrio, I. C., Barbero-Palacios, L., L\u00f3pez-Blanco, E., Speed, J. D. M., Defourneaux, M., Garc\u00eda Criado, M., Moullec, M. le, Mellard, J. P., Salazar, A., Bakke Westergaard, K., Gu\u00f0mundsson, J., Schmidt, N. M., Sigurdsson, B. D., Austrheim, G., Bjorkman, A. D., Bj\u00f6rnsd\u00f3ttir, K., Jepsen, J. U., Pagneux, E. P., Trascau, B.M.,&nbsp;Williamson, D.R.,&nbsp;Arad\u00f3ttir, \u00c1.L.,&nbsp;Barry, A.,&nbsp;Bernard, T.,&nbsp;Koivisto, E.,&nbsp;Kumpula, T.,&nbsp;Villoslada, M.,&nbsp;Myers-Smith, I. H. (2026). Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change.&nbsp;<em>Environmental Research Letters<\/em>,&nbsp;<em>21<\/em>(1), 013002.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1748-9326\/ae2e18\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1088\/1748-9326\/ae2e18<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Photo: Birch trees growing on a ridge in Kilpisj\u00e4rvi, Finland. Credit: Mariana Garc\u00eda Criado<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are happy to start the new year with the publication of the&nbsp;first topical&nbsp;review from the&nbsp;Nordic Borealization&nbsp;Network, where we introduce the concept of&nbsp;tundra borealization&nbsp;to describe northward and upward shifts of boreal species into tundra ecosystems \u2014 a key yet still underrecognized dimension of climate-driven ecological change.&nbsp; In this synthesis, we:&nbsp; By bridging ecology, biogeography, climate &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":476,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nordborn-publications","category-publications"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change - The Nordic Borealization Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change - The Nordic Borealization Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We are happy to start the new year with the publication of the&nbsp;first topical&nbsp;review from the&nbsp;Nordic Borealization&nbsp;Network, where we introduce the concept of&nbsp;tundra borealization&nbsp;to describe northward and upward shifts of boreal species into tundra ecosystems \u2014 a key yet still underrecognized dimension of climate-driven ecological change.&nbsp; In this synthesis, we:&nbsp; By bridging ecology, biogeography, climate &hellip; Continue reading &quot;Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change&quot;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Nordic Borealization Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-05T11:44:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-06T09:34:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Birch-trees-growing-on-a-ridge-in-Kilpisjarvi-Finland.-Credit-Mariana-Garcia-Criado_lowres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"488\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Isabel Barrio\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Isabel Barrio\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\",\"name\":\"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change - The Nordic Borealization Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-05T11:44:44+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-01-06T09:34:59+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/#\/schema\/person\/556ea4835cdda9b6be16f968eae6dffe\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/\",\"name\":\"The Nordic Borealization Network\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/#\/schema\/person\/556ea4835cdda9b6be16f968eae6dffe\",\"name\":\"Isabel Barrio\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb1f768e1f557e7943d61e946f88b5e9f563aeb8e5f04c96f3bdd084a767cdb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb1f768e1f557e7943d61e946f88b5e9f563aeb8e5f04c96f3bdd084a767cdb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Isabel Barrio\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?author=2\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change - The Nordic Borealization Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nordborn.lbhi.is\/?p=474","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Borealization of tundra ecosystems with climate and land-use change - The Nordic Borealization Network","og_description":"We are happy to start the new year with the publication of the&nbsp;first topical&nbsp;review from the&nbsp;Nordic Borealization&nbsp;Network, where we introduce the concept of&nbsp;tundra borealization&nbsp;to describe northward and upward shifts of boreal species into tundra ecosystems \u2014 a key yet still underrecognized dimension of climate-driven ecological change.&nbsp; 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