Shifts in time and space interact as climate warms

Beetles found on Mediterranean shores in cold periods turned up in Finland in mild interglacials (1). Paleontologists see such range shifts as systematic responses to changing climate. No surprise, then, that recent global trends for poleward and upward range shifts are attributed to current warming (2, 3). However, range shifts are not the only mechanism by which organisms can mitigate effects of warming. An organism’s experience of climate can be modulated in situ by changes of microhabitat (4, 5) or by phenological (timing) adjustment, which can dramatically alter climate space in seasonal habitats.