Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems
From a resource management perspective, climate change is considered to be one of the main threats to high-elevation ecosystems. However, these valuable ecosystems present unique challenges to climate change adaptation (actions in response to environmental change and its effects in a way that seeks...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2450089 |
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| author | Meagan F. Oldfather Alyson Ennis Brian W. Miller Kyra Clark-Wolf Imtiaz Rangwala Hailey Robe Caitlin Littlefield |
| author_facet | Meagan F. Oldfather Alyson Ennis Brian W. Miller Kyra Clark-Wolf Imtiaz Rangwala Hailey Robe Caitlin Littlefield |
| author_sort | Meagan F. Oldfather |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | From a resource management perspective, climate change is considered to be one of the main threats to high-elevation ecosystems. However, these valuable ecosystems present unique challenges to climate change adaptation (actions in response to environmental change and its effects in a way that seeks to reduce harm) due to their rugged and remote characteristics. Within this context, we summarized literature on climate change impacts and adaptation actions across U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems to address the important question: What are the knowledge gaps for climate change responses within this ecosystem that limit the ability of natural resource managers to perform successful climate change adaptation? In addressing this question, we focus specifically on the U.S. Rocky Mountains but also place regional conclusions for climate change adaptation in high-elevation ecosystems into a broader context. Overall, we found that the complex topography and temporally variable climate of mountains promote potential refugia that may buffer alpine obligate species in the near-term but also challenge resource managers to consider biological lags within this ecosystem. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6f20888c3ef546269a6c7b6b23d783a3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1523-0430 1938-4246 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-6f20888c3ef546269a6c7b6b23d783a32025-01-31T14:25:21ZengTaylor & Francis GroupArctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research1523-04301938-42462025-12-0157110.1080/15230430.2025.2450089Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystemsMeagan F. Oldfather0Alyson Ennis1Brian W. Miller2Kyra Clark-Wolf3Imtiaz Rangwala4Hailey Robe5Caitlin Littlefield6U.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, Colorado, USAEcology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USAU.S. Geological Survey North Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Boulder, Colorado, USANorth Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USANorth Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USANorth Central Climate Adaptation Science Center, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colorado, USAConservation Science Partners, Truckee, California, USAFrom a resource management perspective, climate change is considered to be one of the main threats to high-elevation ecosystems. However, these valuable ecosystems present unique challenges to climate change adaptation (actions in response to environmental change and its effects in a way that seeks to reduce harm) due to their rugged and remote characteristics. Within this context, we summarized literature on climate change impacts and adaptation actions across U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems to address the important question: What are the knowledge gaps for climate change responses within this ecosystem that limit the ability of natural resource managers to perform successful climate change adaptation? In addressing this question, we focus specifically on the U.S. Rocky Mountains but also place regional conclusions for climate change adaptation in high-elevation ecosystems into a broader context. Overall, we found that the complex topography and temporally variable climate of mountains promote potential refugia that may buffer alpine obligate species in the near-term but also challenge resource managers to consider biological lags within this ecosystem.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2450089High-elevation ecosystemsclimate change adaptationmanagementclimate changemicroclimate |
| spellingShingle | Meagan F. Oldfather Alyson Ennis Brian W. Miller Kyra Clark-Wolf Imtiaz Rangwala Hailey Robe Caitlin Littlefield Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research High-elevation ecosystems climate change adaptation management climate change microclimate |
| title | Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems |
| title_full | Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems |
| title_fullStr | Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems |
| title_short | Climate change impacts and adaptation in U.S. Rocky Mountain high-elevation ecosystems |
| title_sort | climate change impacts and adaptation in u s rocky mountain high elevation ecosystems |
| topic | High-elevation ecosystems climate change adaptation management climate change microclimate |
| url | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15230430.2025.2450089 |
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