4 - Altitudinal variation in land area (top), plant taxon richness and species endemism (centre) and plant taxon density (bottom) in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan (from Jump 2012)

Jump et al compared recent and historical upper altitudinal range limits of plant species above 2000 m and found that upper altitudinal limits of mountain plant distributions have risen by around 3.6 m yr-1 during the last century. This is in parallel with rising temperatures in this subtropical mountain region. In addition, many of the investigated peaks in the Central Mountain Range are nowadays popular locations for mountaineering and mountain tourism, activities that, along with better road access and increased road usage, are likely to impact the distribution of species and increase realized altitudinal migration rates.