Climate change miscues may shrink species’ outer limits

Ecological partnerships are getting out of sync, especially at high latitudes

Throughout the world, climate change is causing age-old ecological partners to miss their cues as seasons shift. The trend may be so strong at higher latitudes that researchers now propose that some species’ ranges could actually shrink away from the poles.

Male broad-tailed hummingbirds arrive in summer breeding grounds ahead of females (one shown here) to scout for territories before the first mountain flowers start blooming — and they’re running out of time to do so thanks to climate change.