Freshwater ecosystems are inland aquatic systems dominated by low-salinity water, encompassing rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands, and groundwater-dependent habitats. They are structured by hydrological regime, nutrient availability, light penetration, thermal stratification, and substrate characteristics, and support diverse communities of microorganisms, algae, macrophytes, invertebrates, fish, and amphibians. Biogeochemical processes in these systems, including primary production, decomposition, and nutrient cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus, regulate water quality and contribute to regional and global elemental fluxes. Research on freshwater ecosystems examines food web dynamics, ecological resilience, responses to eutrophication, pollution, flow alteration, climate change, and their role in providing ecosystem services such as drinking water supply and biodiversity maintenance.
Continental aquatic ecosystems, such as lakes and reservoirs, occupy a small proportion of Earth's surface but play a significant role in the global carbon cycle. It is estimated that more than 40% of global methane emissions ...
Earth Sciences
Jul 9, 2026
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Scientists thought dead plant material was primarily powering the Everglades. Algae says not so fast.
Ecology
Jul 8, 2026
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A comprehensive study of more than 1,100 springs in the American West warns that critical biodiversity hot spots are facing a mounting extinction crisis.
Ecology
Jul 8, 2026
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Freshwater ecosystems are under growing pressure worldwide, but conservation resources are limited. A framework developed by IIASA researchers and partners can help identify where conservation could prevent biodiversity loss ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
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Wormlike parasites cause crickets to jump into streams, where the fatty insects nourish endangered fish. Ayano Medo and Takuya Sato sought to characterize the flow of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)—a nutritious long-chain omega-3 ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2026
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Over generations, a small North American frog has learned how to survive in a world that's getting increasingly saltier. But new research from the University of Missouri suggests that adaptation comes with an unexpected trade-off.
Ecology
Jul 6, 2026
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Hidden beneath the water's surface is a botanical world that is among nature's most innovative and ecologically important.
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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Atlantic and European sturgeon once called Britain's rivers home and could do so again, following research using Natural History Museum specimens. These fish are among the biggest found in Europe and undertake epic migrations ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 2, 2026
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A study titled "Monitoring major biodiversity stronghold in war zones: model predicts Lake Chad remains Africa's most important wetland for waterbirds" estimates that Lake Chad supports nearly 2.5 million waterbirds, making ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2026
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Climate change is not only warming our lakes and rivers, it is also changing what invasive species eat. A new experimental study published in Limnology and Oceanography Letters shows that temperature-driven diet shifts in ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 30, 2026
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