Persistence of arctic-alpine flora during 24,000 years of environmental change in the Polar Urals

Plants adapted to extreme conditions can be at high risk from climate
change; arctic-alpine plants, in particular, could “run out of space” as
they are out-competed by expansion of woody vegetation. Mountain regions
could potentially provide safe sites for arctic-alpine plants in a warmer
climate, but empirical evidence is fragmentary. Here we present a
24,000-year record of species persistence based on sedimentary ancient DNA
(sedaDNA) from Lake Bolshoye Shchuchye (Polar Urals). We provide robust
evidence of long-term persistence of arctic-alpine plants through
large-magnitude climate changes but document a decline in their diversity
during a past expansion of woody vegetation.  Nevertheless, most
of the plants that were present during the last glacial interval,
including all of the arctic-alpines, are still found in the region today.
This underlines the conservation significance of mountain landscapes via
their provision of a range of habitats that confer resilience to climate
change, particularly for arctic-alpine taxa.