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.
From tiny streams to gigantic rivers like the Mississippi—microbes in sediments work tirelessly to maintain key biogeochemical cycles. However, as temperatures rise, they tend to operate frequently in stress mode. This is ...
Ecology
Dec 10, 2025
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You might think of Australia's arid center as a dry desert landscape devoid of aquatic life. But it's actually dotted with thousands of rock holes—natural rainwater reservoirs that act as little oases for tiny freshwater ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 5, 2025
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30
As small aquatic habitats disappear at an alarming rate, private garden ponds may help compensate for the loss of natural habitats and support biodiversity in urban areas. However, as these ponds become increasingly popular, ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 3, 2025
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The rivers, lakes and ponds in cities—urban blue spaces also known as UBS—are increasingly recognized for their ecological and social roles. However, their contributions to sustainable food systems remain understudied.
Ecology
Dec 2, 2025
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11
When Meredith Holgerson arrived at Cornell in 2020, she began searching for the perfect ponds. Poring over maps, taking tips, she'd traipse into the woods of central New York with an inflatable kayak strapped to her back.
Environment
Dec 1, 2025
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Freshwater lakes are critical ecosystems that regulate regional climates, support biodiversity, and provide essential resources for human societies. However, as global warming accelerates, extreme heat waves are increasingly ...
Environment
Nov 28, 2025
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New research has revealed the critical role of river-floodplain connectivity in sustaining fish species diversity on the floodplain of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.
Plants & Animals
Nov 26, 2025
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A research team from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) has analyzed the zooplankton communities in the White Nile and Blue Nile in Khartoum. It is the first study of plankton in the Sudan ...
Ecology
Nov 24, 2025
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21
A research team led by Profs. Zhang Yunlin and Shi Kun from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has completed its first global assessment of lake water clarity, uncovering widespread ...
Environment
Nov 17, 2025
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22
Frogs need water. Almost all of the world's 7,900 known frog species breed in fresh water. And when it rains, these amphibians erupt into a chorus of calls—croaks, trills, cheeps and bellows—to attract a mate.
Plants & Animals
Nov 13, 2025
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