US EditionMilitary Air Filters Show Mosses Releasing Spores a Month Earlier Than in 1990s
Moss spores in northern Sweden release on average four weeks earlier due to warmer autumns extending spore capsule development, based on DNA from military air samples.
- Scientists at Lund University analysed DNA preserved on decades-old Swedish Armed Forces air samples to reveal earlier moss spore release across Sweden.
- Last year, researchers found warmer autumns emerged as the key driver, giving mosses more time to develop spore capsules before winter and release spores earlier in spring.
- On average, mosses now begin releasing spores about four weeks earlier, with the peak of spore dispersal arriving roughly six weeks sooner, Lund University researchers found.
- The study introduces a DNA-based method to reconstruct ecological change using military air filters originally gathered for fallout monitoring, which preserved biological DNA, Nils Cronberg said.
- Because samples span locations across Sweden, researchers can reconstruct ecological shifts north to south and expect their results to feed into the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Old air samples hint at effects of climate change
Through DNA analysis of old air samples collected by the Swedish Armed Forces, researchers at Lund University in Sweden can show that spore dispersal of northern mosses has shifted over the past 35 years. It now starts several weeks earlier, revealing how quickly nature's calendar can reset in line with a warmer climate.
Scientists found climate change hidden in old military air samples
Old military air samples turned out to be a treasure trove of biological DNA, allowing scientists to track moss spores over 35 years. The results show mosses now release spores up to a month earlier than in the 1990s. Even more surprising, the timing depends more on last year’s climate than current spring conditions. It’s a striking example of how fast ecosystems are adjusting to a warming world.
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