A new global review of observed climate change impacts on plant communities reveals major gaps in where and how we monitor some of the world's most climate-vulnerable ecosystems.

Mediterranean-type ecosystems occur in just five regions of the world: the Mediterranean Basin, California, central Chile, southwestern Australia and South Africa, and are recognised as among the terrestrial ecosystems particularly vulnerable to climate change. Yet a new systematic review finds that our understanding of how their plant communities are actually responding to ongoing climate change is surprisingly uneven. 

Researchers from the University of Cape Town and the South African Environmental Observation Network reviewed the scientific literature documenting observed climate change impacts on plant communities across all five of the world's Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The study, published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence, was led by Hana Petersen, with Ryan Blanchard and Jasper Slingsby.

The University of Bath has launched a new research centre focused on tackling some of the world's most pressing sustainability challenges, after welcoming hundreds of international researchers and practitioners to the city for the 2026 Conference on Earth System Governance.

The new Bath Centre for Earth System Governance (BCESG) was announced during the conference, which last week brought together 456 delegates from 51 countries and featured 96 sessions exploring how governments, institutions, businesses, civil society, and communities can respond to climate change, biodiversity loss and other interconnected environmental challenges.

With $2.3 million in funding from the National Science Foundation, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies is leading the creation of the first large-scale public collection of lake metabolism data. The open-access database, called the Global LAke Metabolism Repository (GLAMR), will help scientists better understand trends in lake health across the world. Cary is receiving $1 million of the award, with the remaining funds supporting project partners at the University of Colorado Boulder, Grand Valley State University, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This meta-analysis of 23 studies compared exercise in the hot (ExH) and exercise in thermoneutral conditions (ExN). ExH produced greater improvements in resting and exercise core temperature, exercise heart rate, sweat rate, and aerobic performance in the heat, but not exercise skin temperature. Benefits of ExH were greater with longer interventions and among elite athletes. Nevertheless, ExN also improved exercise core temperature and heart rate, suggesting that exercise alone can induce modest heat-related adaptations.