Mountains magnify mechanisms in climate change biology
Nature Climate Change
Climate change biology needs mechanisms, and mountains are where mechanisms show themselves. This paper argues that the sharp climatic contrasts which make mountain species so exposed to warming also make them natural laboratories. Steep gradients let researchers compare climates, populations and processes within one study system.
We wrote the piece for Nature Climate Change to move the field from documenting patterns of loss toward discovering the mechanisms that produce them.
Original abstract as published
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.
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