Abstract. Global average temperature has increased and precipitation pattern has altered over the past 100 years due to increases in greenhouse gases. These changes will alter numerous site factors and biochemical processes of vegetative communities such as nutrient and water availability, permafrost thawing, fire regime, biotic interactions and invasion. As a consequence, climate change is expected to alter distribution ranges of many species and communities as well as boundaries of biomes. Shifting of species and vegetation zones northwards and upwards in elevation has already been observed. Besides, several experiments have been conducted and simulations have been run all over the world in order to predict possible range shifts and ecological risks. In this paper, we review literature available in Web of Science on Europe and boreal Eurasia and give an overview of observed and predicted changes in vegetation in these regions. The main trends include advance of the tree line, reduction of the alpine vegetation belt, drought risk, forest diebacks, a shift from coniferous forests to deciduous forests and invasion. It is still controversial if species migration will be able to keep pace with climate change.

Abstract. After giving an overview of climate change induced vegetation shifts in the Palearctic region in our previous paper, in this article we review literature available in Web of Science on North and South America. We study different geographical regions such as Canada, Alaska, California, Southwestern, Eastern and Southeastern USA, the Great Lakes region, the Great Plains, intermontane basins and plateaus, Rocky Mountains and the Cascades as well as Central and South America. We summarize main results of relevant field studies, experiments and model simulations. Predicted environmental changes include temperature increases, altering precipitation patterns, droughts, permafrost thaw and ground subsidence in arctic regions, enhanced El Niño Southern Oscillation, sea level rise, increasing salinity of the vadose zone, snowpack declines and various disturbances. All vegetation types are affected by these changes, to the most important phenomena belong e.g. reduction of arctic and alpine communities, decreasing area of taiga, shrub encroachment in tundra areas, northward expansion of the tree line, reduction in wetland areas, invasion, altering forest regeneration patterns, decrease in dominance of conifer species, increased cover of salt-tolerant plant species in tidal marshes, expansion of grassland, compositional and structural changes of grasslands and forests, drying up of bogs, landward migration of mangroves, savannification of forests, expansion of chaparral as well as upward migration of species in the mountains.

Abstract. Several methods and indicators can be used to evaluate the coenological state of a given habitat, the ones which can be created simply, quickly, standardizably and reliably can be of outstanding practical importance in environmental biology. One possible method is listing the genera which can be found in a given habitat in great abundance and have little number of species and various ecological characteristics. For this purpose one of the most appropriate groups is that of ground-dwelling oribatid mites. In our research the indication strength of genus-level taxon lists and the effects of the main patterngenerating factors creating similarity patterns were analysed with the help of data series on oribatid mites collected by us and originating from literature. Our aim was to develop a method with the help of which the difference expressed with distance functions between two oribatid mite genus lists originating from any sources can correspond to spatial and temporal scales. With the help of this base of comparison changes in disturbed or transformed habitats can be expressed by means of oribatid mite communities, with spatial and temporal distances.

No abstract

Abstract. Several methods and indicators can be used to evaluate the coenological state of a given habitat, the ones which can be created simply, quickly, standardizably and reliably can be of outstanding practical importance in environmental biology. One possible method is listing the genera which can be found in a given habitat in great abundance and have little number of species and various ecological characteristics. For this purpose one of the most appropriate groups is that of ground-dwelling oribatid mites. In our research the indication strength of genus-level taxon lists and the effects of the main patterngenerating factors creating similarity patterns were analysed with the help of data series on oribatid mites collected by us and originating from literature. Our aim was to develop a method with the help of which the difference expressed with distance functions between two oribatid mite genus lists originating from any sources can correspond to spatial and temporal scales. With the help of this base of comparison changes in disturbed or transformed habitats can be expressed by means of oribatid mite communities, with spatial and temporal distances.