Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29401494›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Changes in the geographical distribution of plant species and climatic variables on the West Cornwall peninsula (South West UK).

Aleksandra Kosanic, Karen Anderson, Stephan Harrison, Thea Turkington, Jonathan Bennie

Abstract readHistorical Article
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  2. Article
  3. Projected distribution patterns ofFrontiers in plant science · 2025
    Article
  4. Predicting the Global Distribution ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024
    Article
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Aleksandra KosanicUniversity of Exeter, Centre for Geography Environment and Society, Penryn Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom.
Karen AndersonUniversity of Exeter, Environment and Sustainability Institute, Penryn Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom.
Stephan HarrisonUniversity of Exeter, Centre for Geography Environment and Society, Penryn Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom.
Thea TurkingtonCentre for Climate Research Singapore, Meteorological Services Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Jonathan BennieUniversity of Exeter, Centre for Geography Environment and Society, Penryn Campus, Penryn, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recent climate change has had a major impact on biodiversity and has altered the geographical distribution of vascular plant species. This trend is visible globally; however, more local and regional scale research is needed to improve understanding of the patterns of change and to develop appropriate conservation strategies that can minimise cultural, health, and economic losses at finer scales. Here we describe a method to manually geo-reference botanical records from a historical herbarium to track changes in the geographical distributions of plant species in West Cornwall (South West England) using both historical (pre-1900) and contemporary (post-1900) distribution records. We also assess the use of Ellenberg and climate indicator values as markers of responses to climate and environmental change. Using these techniques we detect a loss in 19 plant species, with 6 species losing more than 50% of their previous range. Statistical analysis showed that Ellenberg (light, moisture, nitrogen) and climate indicator values (mean January temperature, mean July temperature and mean precipitation) could be used as environmental change indicators. Significantly higher percentages of area lost were detected in species with lower January temperatures, July temperatures, light, and nitrogen values, as well as higher annual precipitation and moisture values. This study highlights the importance of historical records in examining the changes in plant species' geographical distributions. We present a method for manual geo-referencing of such records, and demonstrate how using Ellenberg and climate indicator values as environmental and climate change indicators can contribute towards directing appropriate conservation strategies.

Indexed as

Climate ChangePlantsBiodiversityEnglandHistory, 19th CenturyHistory, 20th CenturyHistory, 21st CenturyPlant DispersalSpecies Specificity

Identifiers

PMID29401494
PMCPMC5798772

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.