Special issue: Mammalian adaptations and responses to high elevation in the face of climate change.

This article focuses on the ecological and evolutionary impacts of high elevation and climate change on montane mammals across global mountain ranges. It highlights how mountains serve as natural laboratories for studying mammalian adaptations, genetic diversification, and species richness, while emphasizing the conservation risks posed by global warming, including the "escalator to extinction" phenomenon. The article summarizes research from diverse regions such as the Ethiopian Highlands, the Andes, the Alps, and the Rocky Mountains, documenting species-specific responses in physiology, distribution, and behavior. It underscores the importance of integrating global datasets, molecular techniques, and local field surveys to assess endemism and extinction risks, particularly for threatened montane mammals in under-explored areas. Overall, the studies reveal complex and varied effects of climate change on montane mammal biology and distribution, informing biodiversity conservation efforts. [Extracted from the article]