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.
A new holistic monitoring system developed under the leadership of TU Graz measures boat waves with millimeter precision using satellite navigation data and sensors on buoys and for the first time allows investigations into ...
Ecology
Feb 12, 2026
0
10
The Yangtze River Basin, a global biodiversity hotspot, has endured severe ecological degradation over several decades due to intense human activity, leading to a marked decline in aquatic biodiversity. In order to halt this ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 12, 2026
0
79
Freshwater streams, ponds and lakes across the United States are becoming saltier, and new research from the University of Missouri shows the damage may be greater than scientists once thought. Scientists at Mizzou's College ...
Ecology
Feb 12, 2026
0
12
A major new international review co-authored by Professor Gemma Harvey, Professor of Physical Geography in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Queen Mary University of London, highlights how species that ...
Ecology
Feb 11, 2026
0
11
It hadn't been a successful morning for the Great Lakes Eagle Health team. Traveling by boat, truck, and foot, the team was searching for active eagle nests along the Wisconsin River in Nekoosa, Wisconsin. Tree one was a ...
Plants & Animals
Feb 6, 2026
0
37
Groundwater is considered the largest reservoir of liquid freshwater on Earth and a habitat for complex microbial communities that drive essential biogeochemical cycles. Until now, the role of viruses that infect microorganisms ...
Ecology
Feb 4, 2026
0
90
Ditches and canals are the underdog of the freshwater world. These human-made waterways are often forgotten, devalued, and perceived negatively—think "dull as ditchwater." But these unsung heroes have a hidden potential for ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 1, 2026
0
20
Invasive species, pathogens, and parasites can have serious ecological consequences for aquatic ecosystems and also put human health and economies at risk. Early detection of these biological threats is vital for mitigating ...
Ecology
Jan 31, 2026
0
24
Should growing glacial lakes be used for energy production and water supply—or remain protected as ecologically valuable systems? A research team from the University of Potsdam, together with partners from the University ...
Earth Sciences
Jan 29, 2026
2
139
No matter where you live in the United States, you have likely seen headlines about PFAS being detected in everything from drinking water to fish to milk to human bodies.
Environment
Jan 29, 2026
2
26
