Mountains, with their sharp climatic contrasts, are emblematic of climate-driven species movement and, ultimately, loss. Here, we argue that these same contrasts make mountains powerful natural laboratories for discovering the mechanisms that underlie biological change.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Rahbek, C. et al. Science 365, 1108–1113 (2019).
Pepin, N. et al. Nat. Rev. Earth Environ. 6, 772–788 (2025).
Urban, M. C. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 115, 11871–11873 (2018).
Chen, Y.-H., Lenoir, J. & Chen, I.-C. Science 388, 741–747 (2025).
Dobrowski, S. Z. Glob. Change Biol. 17, 1022–1035 (2011).
Chan, W.-P. et al. Nature 629, 114–120 (2024).
de la Fuente, A. et al. Glob. Change Biol. 31, e70215 (2025).
Wild, K. H. et al. Science 387, 303–309 (2025).
Chen, I.-C., Shen, S.-F. & Chan, S.-F. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Systematics 55, 449–469 (2024).
Hsiung, A. C., Boyle, W. A., Cooper, R. J. & Chandler, R. B. Biol. Rev. 93, 2049–2070 (2018).
Neate-Clegg, M. H. C., Tonelli, B. A. & Tingley, M. W. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 8, 2027–2036 (2024).
Kearney, M. & Porter, W. Ecol. Lett. 12, 334–350 (2009).
Kearney, M. R., Gillingham, P. K., Bramer, I., Duffy, J. P. & Maclean, I. M. D. Methods Ecol. Evol. 11, 38–43 (2020).
Briscoe, N. J. et al. Glob. Change Biol. 29, 1451–1470 (2023).
Chen, I.-C., Hill, J. K., Ohlemüller, R., Roy, D. B. & Thomas, C. D. Science 333, 1024–1026 (2011).
Acknowledgements
A.d.l.F. was supported by the National Environmental Science Program (NESP). N.J.B. was supported by the Australian Research Council (DP230101907).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
de la Fuente, A., Chen, IC., Briscoe, N.J. et al. Mountains magnify mechanisms in climate change biology. Nat. Clim. Chang. 16, 115–117 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x
Published:
Version of record:
Issue date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-025-02549-x