How can changing temperatures and precipitation patterns threaten species?

Changing temperatures and precipitation patterns threaten species by altering their habitats and disrupting essential ecological processes at a rate that often exceeds their natural adaptive capacity.1

Key Threats to Species

• Geographic Range Shifts: Many species are forced to migrate toward cooler regions, such as higher latitudes or elevations, to remain within their "climate envelope." Species with limited mobility or those restricted to isolated habitats—such as mountaintops—may find themselves with no suitable environment left, leading to an increased risk of extinction.2
• Phenological Mismatches: Warming temperatures cause seasonal events like breeding, migration, and flowering to occur earlier. This can create dangerous mismatches; for example, migratory birds may arrive too late to exploit the peak emergence of insect larvae needed to feed their young.21
• Habitat Loss and Alteration: Rising sea levels threaten coastal ecosystems like wetlands and mangroves. Meanwhile, changes in precipitation and drought frequency alter fire and pest disturbance patterns, while warming waters and ocean acidification threaten the survival of coral reefs and their associated biodiversity.12
• Disease Spread: Warmer conditions can expand the geographic ranges of disease vectors, such as mosquitoes and rodents, facilitating the spread of infectious diseases into new areas.1