Impact of a Century of Climate Change on Small-Mammal Communities in Yosemite National Park, USA
We provide a century-scale view of small-mammal responses to global warming, without
confounding effects of land-use change, by repeating Grinnell’s early–20th century survey across
a 3000-meter-elevation gradient that spans Yosemite National Park, California, USA. Using
occupancy modeling to control for variation in detectability, we show substantial (~500 meters on
average) upward changes in elevational limits for half of 28 species monitored, consistent with the
observed ~3°C increase in minimum temperatures. Formerly low-elevation species expanded their
ranges and high-elevation species contracted theirs, leading to changed community composition at
mid- and high elevations. Elevational replacement among congeners changed because species’
responses were idiosyncratic. Though some high-elevation species are threatened, protection
of elevation gradients allows other species to respond via migration
Publication Date: 2008
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