Mountain sentinels in a changing world – new study describes weather and climate impacts on alpine wildlife
January 31, 2025

Mountain goats are an icon of North American mountain landscapes and cultures, deeply regarded by Indigenous communities, recreational wildlife viewers and contemporary sportsmen. An ice age relic of modern-day Pleistocene landscapes, mountain goats are sentinels of change in alpine ecosystems and particularly sensitive to shifts in weather and climate. How climate change alters their ecology, health and population dynamics is expected to be significant and carries important implications for their future viability and conservation.
Drawing upon expertise from decades of collective experience, a multidisciplinary team of 15 US and Canadian wildlife ecologists, managers and physical scientists synthesized the state our of knowledge about how mountain goats are influenced by weather and climate in a study recently published in Global Ecology and Conservation (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03364). “Mountain goats are an iconic species of North American mountain wilderness”, said wildlife ecologist and lead author Kevin White of the University of Victoria and University of Alaska Southeast. “They are also sentinels of change in alpine ecosystems, their sensitivity to shifts in weather and climate provide insights about how temperature, precipitation, snowfall and plant community dynamics are varying in mountain environments – and loom large over future viability”.
Mountain goats, a species of alpine ungulate (Caprinae) which comprise 32 species across 70 countries; these species are highly specialized for alpine life and survival in a cold, windy environment that can be blanketed in snow for 9 months of the year. The white winter coat of mountain goats is so thick and woolly that they were mistaken for polar bears by early European explorers. Adaptation for cold weather, however, comes at a cost during the increasingly warm summer months.
“Their thick white coats are important for surviving in the mountains most times, but they can’t simply take them off on a hot summer day – heat and physiological stress are increasingly important issues”, said wildlife ecologist Tyler Jessen, a sessional geography instructor at the University of Victoria and co-author of the study.
Climate is changing rapidly in mountain environments relative to surrounding lowland areas. Warming mountain environments have both positive and negative impacts on mountain goats. For example, decreases in snowfall can increase winter survival but also promote earlier spring green up, which reduces the availability of nutritious forage in late summer.
The conservation and management challenges associated with ensuring productive and viable mountain goat populations in the face of projected climate change are extensive but are now more clearly identified and actionable – though more work remains to be done. Already mountain goats occur in small, naturally isolated populations that are sensitive to local disturbance – whether that be weather and climate, human activity, predation, or disease. How the interplay of these forces play out in a future marked by climate change across the diverse range of mountain goats, will have important implications for future viability and resilience.
“Our improving understanding of mountain goats showcases what can be achieved when diverse teams – in this case with 15 experts – collaborate, and should serve as a model to bring forth new knowledge for many of earth’s more vulnerable species”, said Joel Berger, Professor of Wildlife Conservation at Colorado State University and co-author of the study.
To learn more about White and Jessen's research, you can read the full publication on the Global Ecology and Conservation website.
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