Better understanding of drying river networks through project DRYvER using drying resistance and resilience traits
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| Year of publication | 2023 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
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| Description | Drying River Networks (DRNs) are highly vulnerable freshwater ecosystems representing over a half of the world's waterways. They have unique physical, chemical, and biological properties due to their fluctuating hydrology, which supports freshwater metacommunities with a high number of specialists. The ability of freshwater organisms to survive and recover from drying events is a critical feature of DRNs. Therefore, it is essential to understand the unique traits of freshwater organisms inhabiting DRNs for proper management and conservation of these ecosystems. To concentrate efforts and to understand and mitigate the effects of climate change on DRNs, DRYvER project was initiated (www.dryver.eu). The project aims to develop a comprehensive meta-system framework that will improve our understanding of the effects of drying and changes in the dry periods on river network biodiversity and ecological integrity. The work includes creating a database compiled from the existing and newly gathered data containing taxonomic information on bacteria, fungi, diatoms, macroinvertebrates, and fish across Europe, with attributed traits such as capsule production in bacteria, mycelial growth in fungi or diapause in macroinvertebrates, present or unique in each group. This knowledge will be used to create predictive models that can accelerate the development of effective conservation strategies to maintain and restore the ecological integrity of DRNs. Additionally,understanding the biological responses of DRNs to environmental change can help predict the impactsof climate change on freshwater ecosystems globally. |
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