Understanding and Predicting Climatic Envelopes in the California Flora

As global warming reshapes the biosphere, mountains may be the most threatened habitats in the world. At lower altitudes, species may be able to move north or south to follow the temperature ranges they live in. Mountaintops, however, are like islands, in that the nearest comparable habitat may be far away on a distant peak – with many miles of inhospitable temperatures in between. Some species can move up the slope to find cooler areas, but once they reach the top of the mountain, there is often nowhere else to go... except extinct.