Shifting Habitats Lesson 16.3 Effects of Climate Change As ecosystems become warmer, locations in which organisms (plants and animals) live are changing Habitats shift, usually toward the poles or to higher altitudes -- cooler locations Rainbow-billed toucans like the one shown here normally are confined to lower elevations in Costa Rica, but global warming is allowing them to colonize mountain forests, where they compete with resident birds for food and nesting holes, and prey on their eggs and nestlings.