In this study we explore the microclimatic landscape of the Boreal forest and investigate, how understory species make use of microclimate variation at their current range margins.

We look particularily at forest species in the transitional region called Limes Norrlandicus,

where many northern and southern understory species have their distributional limit.

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A warmer climate will likely shift these range margins towards the north but near-ground microclimate variation may modify these shifts.

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Northern cold-adapted species could survive in colder microclimates ("microrefugia"), whereas southern warm-adapted species could colonize warmer microclimates ("stepping stone habitats").

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