Upward shifts in species distribution are common in response to postglacial climatic warming (Lenoir et al. 2008). However, the ability to migrate upwards may be limited by increasingly harsh environmental conditions (Köner 2007). When species move upward in elevation, reductions in habitat area and effective population size can occur, resulting in the loss of rare, high-elevation species (Dirnböck et al. 2011). A discontinuous population distribution along elevation gradients can influence the level of genetic diversity within and among populations associated with climate change (Ohsawa and Ide 2008). Biogeographical range shifts induced by upward migration can promote evolution, particularly at the leading and trailing edges of a species’ range (Thuiller et al. 2008). Current genetic differentiation and diversity within species may have been affected by long-term habitat isolation, which can promote local adaptation and eventually lead to speciation (Schluter 2000; Gavrilets and Vose 2007). The level of genetic variation plays a key role in maintaining a population that is robust to future environmental changes, thereby reducing the probability of extinction (Booy et al. 2000).