So far, only a few primrose species have been analyzed regarding their saponin composition and content. Moreover, the roots of only two of them are defined by the European Union (EU) Pharmacopoeia monograph and commercially utilized by the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, this study intended to find some new sources of main triterpene saponins from Primulae radix , namely primulasaponins I and II together with the closely related sakurasosaponin. Using isolated standards, UHPLC-ESI-HRMS served to assess over 155 Primulaceae members qualitatively and quantitatively. Nine examples of plants accumulating over 5% of primulasaponin I in their roots were found. Among them, in one case, it was found as the almost sole secondary metabolite with the concentration of 15-20% ( Primula grandis L.). A reasonable content of primulasaponin II was found to be typical for Primula vulgaris Huds. and P. megaseifolia Boiss. & Bal. The sakurasosaponin level was found in seven species to exceed 5%. The finding of new, single and rich sources of the abovementioned biomolecules among species that were never analyzed phytochemically is important for future research and economic benefit. The chemotaxonomic significance of the occurrence of these three saponins in Primulaceae is discussed.

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Mountain plant species shift their elevational ranges in response to climate change. However, to what degree these shifts lag behind current climate change, and to what extent delayed extinctions and colonizations contribute to these shifts, are under debate. Here, we calculate extinction debt and colonization credit of 135 species from the European Alps by comparing species distribution models with 1576 re-surveyed plots. We find extinction debt in 60% and colonization credit in 38% of the species, and at least one of the two in 93%. This suggests that the realized niche of very few of the 135 species fully tracks climate change. As expected, extinction debts occur below and colonization credits occur above the optimum elevation of species. Colonization credits are more frequent in warmth-demanding species from lower elevations with lower dispersal capability, and extinction debts are more frequent in cold-adapted species from the highest elevations. Local extinctions hence appear to be already pending for those species which have the least opportunity to escape climate warming.

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