Latitudinal and Elevational Range Shifts under Contemporary Climate Change

Abstract

Contemporary climate changes have already induced poleward and upward shifts in current distributions of species worldwide, although there is an important variation among species in timing, magnitude, and direction of these shifts. Latitudinal and elevational range shifts have especially been documented in the Northern Hemisphere, and chiefly between 30° and 60° latitudes. In contrast, there is much less data on range shift patterns within the Tropics, a critical lack given the high concentration of species richness and the large numbers of threatened taxa in this climate zone.