Species Range Shifts

As climate change creates new temperature and precipitation patterns, the ranges that some species occupy -- particularly in mountainous areas like the Sierra Nevada -- are changing. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have been re-surveying birds and mammals at sites in California that were first surveyed nearly 100 years ago by Joseph Grinnell. The results show how species' ranges have shifted in association with climate change. At the same time, staff at Sequoia-Kings Canyon National Park are working to apply the science to park management and to engage the public in understanding what change means for future biodiversity in the park.