SFS Annual Meeting

6/03/2024  |   13:30 - 13:45   |  Independence Ballroom D

Developing a climate change vulnerability assessment and adaptation roadmap for Murray-Darling Basin Ramsar sites Australia's Ramsar listed wetlands and water-dependent ecosystems are facing unprecedented challenges due to climate change. Increasing temperatures, variable rainfall, and extreme weather events are altering the hydrological regimes and ecological character of rivers and wetlands across the nation. In response, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) has partnered with the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to enhance the resilience of three Ramsar sites in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) to climate change impacts. The project's primary objective is to assess the vulnerability of the ecological character of the three MDB Ramsar sites. This involves a comprehensive review of contextual factors, key drivers affecting the ecology, and changes in climate variables like temperature, rainfall, and extreme events. Associated hazards such as drought and their impacts on the sites' ecology, including fish species diversity, will also be considered. The assessment will form the basis for a climate adaptation roadmap, guiding future management strategies for the Ramsar sites. The project will also advance research methodologies for vulnerability analysis and adaptation planning for Ramsar sites, enhancing their overall resilience. Engagement with stakeholders and end-users is a key aspect, facilitating a co-design approach that encourages networking, co-sharing, co-learning, and co-ownership across different groups. This collaborative effort will ensure that the project's outcomes are relevant, practical, and actionable, ultimately contributing to the sustainable management of Australia's Ramsar wetlands in the face of climate change. Here I present preliminary results from one case study.

Ashmita Sengupta (Primary Presenter/Author), CSIRO, Ashmita.Sengupta@csiro.au;

Tanya Doody (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), CSIRO, Tanya.Doody@csiro.au;

Alyssa Bagley (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), DCCEEW, alyssa.bagley@dcceew.gov.au;

Ryan David (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), DCCEEW, ryan.davis@dcceew.gov.au;

Michael Dunlop (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), CSIRO, michael.dunlop@csiro.au;

Mandy Hopkins (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Consultant, mandy.hopkins@completingthecircle.com.au;

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6/03/2024  |   13:45 - 14:00   |  Independence Ballroom D

EXTREME WARMING OF AMAZON WATERS IN 2023 DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE LEADS TO DEATHS OF DOLPHINS AND FISHES Although less studied than other biomes, tropical waters are also subject to warming, which can approach or exceed thermal tolerances for aquatic life. In 2023, the record-breaking temperatures on Earth had a direct impact on the waters of the Amazon River system through a major compound drought-heatwave event. This event led to drawdown or drying of floodplain waterbodies and massive mortality of aquatic fauna including thousands of fishes and more than 220 freshwater dolphins. Here we report extreme water temperature measurements across the Amazon in 2023, reaching up to 40 deg C in a large Amazonian lake, with more than 10 deg C of diel variation. This extreme heating follows a long-term increase of 0.6 deg C/decade revealed by satellite estimates across central Amazon lakes between 1990 and 2023. With ongoing global warming, unprecedented extreme water temperatures in tropical water bodies are likely to occur again in the future, raising a major alert for the health of freshwater life, biodiversity, and people who depend on fish and other aquatic animals.

Ayan Fleischmann (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, ayan.fleischmann@gmail.com;

Miriam Marmontel (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, marmontel@mamiraua.org.br;

Maria Cecilia Gomes (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, cecilia@mamiraua.org.br;

Andre Zumak (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, andre.nascimento@mamiraua.org.br;

Debora Hymans (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, debora.hymans@mamiraua.org.br;

Isabela Keppe (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, isabela.keppe@mamiraua.org.br;

Lady Custodio (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, lady.custodio@mamiraua.org.br;

Paula dos Santos Silva (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, paula.silva@mamiraua.org.br;

Priscila Alves (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, camelo.priscilaalves@gmail.com;

Rodrigo Xavier (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, rodrigo.xavier@mamiraua.org.br;

Bruna Mendel (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, brunamendeln@gmail.com;

Camila Viera (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Mamirauá Institute for Sustainable Development, Tefé, Brazil, camila.vieira@mamiraua.org.br;

Leonardo Laipelt (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Hydraulic Research Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, leolaipelt@hotmail.com;

Julia Rossi (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Hydraulic Research Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, juliabrusso@gmail.com;

Bruno Comini de Andrade (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Hydraulic Research Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, cominideandrade@gmail.com;

Anderson Ruhoff (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Hydraulic Research Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, andersonruhoff@gmail.com;

Walter Collischonn (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Hydraulic Research Institute, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, waltercollischonn@gmail.com;

Fabrice Papa (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Universidade de Brasília, Brazil, fabrice.papa@gmail.com;

Stephen K. Hamilton (Primary Presenter/Author), Michigan State University & Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, hamilton@kbs.msu.edu;

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6/03/2024  |   14:00 - 14:15   |  Independence Ballroom D

Thermal Sensitivity of Ponds in Two Coastal Alaskan Wetland Systems Globally, air temperatures are rising with polar regions experiencing greater increases compared to the global average. Freshwater ecosystems are expected to experience associated but complex warming. Previous research suggests that while streams will increase in temperature, hydrologic factors will impart variability; however, in wetlands, air temperature may have a greater impact due to more static conditions. The objective of this study was to forecast changes in water temperature of Alaskan pond ecosystems based on predicted air temperatures under future climate scenarios. We hypothesized that coastal freshwater ponds utilized by juvenile Pacific salmon would have a linear relationship with air temperature, and therefore would be suitable candidates to model climate forcings on water temperature. We further hypothesized that ponds would meet or exceed the upper thermal threshold of salmon within this century. Using paired measurements from 20 ponds in two southcentral Alaska locations (Cordova and Yakutat), we modeled the relationship between air and water temperature for each pond, which was used that to hindcast and forecast pond temperatures for each of three projected climate scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways 4.5, 6, and 8.5). Coastal ponds responded uniformly and linearly to air temperature, suggesting that freshwater ponds are highly vulnerable to climate change. Maximum pond temperatures of 16-22C were forecast under RCP 8.5. Further, these ponds are predicted to meet or exceed the current thermal threshold of salmon (~20-25C) within this century. Our study stresses the importance of considering temperature, hydrology, and location when predicting the impacts of climate change on freshwater ecosystems.

Amaryllis Adey (Primary Presenter/Author), The University of Notre Dame, aadey@nd.edu;

Rachel Hughes (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, rachelchughes12@gmail.com;

Katherine O'Reilly (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant, keo@illinois.edu;

Luca Adelgio (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USDA Forest Service, luca.adelfio@usda.gov;

Susan Oehlers (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), USDA Forest Service, susan.oehlers@usda.gov;

Alan Hamlet (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, ahamlet@nd.edu;

Gary Lamberti (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Notre Dame, glambert@nd.edu;

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6/03/2024  |   14:15 - 14:30   |  Independence Ballroom D

Are climate resilient resources a myth: anglers shift effort from shallow to deep lakes when it is warm, increasing fisheries induced stress in climate refugia Climate change inevitably will induce human responses to changing aquatic ecosystems. Angling is an economically, culturally, and nutritionally important activity throughout the world that depends on participants’ motivation and success and behavior of a targeted fish population. Coldwater fisheries are likely vulnerable because greater temperatures can stress fish, and anglers may target lakes that are perceived as less stressful. Angler records from 10 lakes from 1980 to 2019 show that at the landscape level trip frequency was weakly, negatively related to air temperature. Among lakes, however, the effect of air temperature was not consistent. Shallow lakes with a smaller volume of thermal refugia required by coldwater fish exhibited a steep decline in trip frequency at warmer temperatures; by contrast, the number of trips to deep lakes with a larger volume of thermal refugia stabilized at moderate temperatures and increased at high temperatures. In addition, catch per trip broadly declined in all lakes with increasing temperatures but the rate of decline was higher in shallow lakes at warmer temperatures. Total monthly catch declined greatly in shallower lakes from moderate to high temperatures and in contrast increased over the same changes in deeper lakes. Although deeper lakes may provide climatic refugia for cold-water species due to greater availability of cold and oxygen rich habitat, they may simultaneously have increased exposure to angling related stressors. Our results show that a fishery stressed by increasing temperatures has led to changes in angler exploitation, a pattern that may be observable across several natural resource fields.

Tommy Detmer (POC,Primary Presenter), , thomas.m.detmer@gmail.com;

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6/03/2024  |   14:30 - 14:45   |  Independence Ballroom D

Connecting Climate Change-Induced Low Flows to Mountain Stream Invertebrate Community Shifts Climate change is altering the structure and dynamics of high mountain stream ecosystems globally via shifts in seasonal and interannual droughts. Stream drought can alter communities through multiple environmental pathways and biological mechanisms–disentangling them is important, but remains challenging. For example, low flow events lead to increased temperature, reduced water velocity, and increased sedimentation. Each stressor may change community composition in multiple ways, e.g., by filtering the number of species (richness), their relative abundance (reordering), or replacing sensitive species with tolerant ones (turnover). Here we investigated the environmental and biological mechanisms whereby climate change-induced low flows may alter macroinvertebrate species and community composition in a California Sierra Nevada watershed, both across space and over time. We sampled 60 sites in Bull Creek following a nested spatial design that captured microhabitat and reach-level variation within the watershed. We also examined temporal change using four watershed reaches that were sampled 11 times from 2002-2023, via multivariate time-series models. Temperature, water velocity, and fine sediment all explained variation in some taxa, and more variance was explained by spatial autocorrelation than by temporal autocorrelation. Differences in fine sediment between communities explained the most variation across space for dissimilarity components, but temperature differences best explained temporal variation. Lastly, reordering explained the most variation in community composition. These results illustrate that climate change impacts associated with drought may vary across space and time, and species reordering may be the foremost biological mechanism through which climate change acts, followed by species turnover and richness differences.

Kyle Leathers (Primary Presenter/Author), University of California Berkeley, kyle_leathers@berkeley.edu;

Dave Herbst (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, University of California Santa Barbara, david.herbst@lifesci.ucsb.edu;

Michael Bogan (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), School of Natural Resources and the Environment, The University of Arizona, mbogan@email.arizona.edu;

Gabriela Jeliazkov (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California Berkeley, gjeliazkov@berkeley.edu;

Albert Ruhi (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, University of California, Berkeley, albert.ruhi@berkeley.edu;

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6/03/2024  |   14:45 - 15:00   |  Independence Ballroom D

FLOW INTERMITTENCY AND MACROINVERTEBRATE RELATIONS IN ALPINE FLUVIAL NETWORKS Intermittent streams are a common feature of alpine fluvial networks, representing >70% of the network in some catchments. However, little is known about the ecological effects of drying regimes (frequency, duration, timing) and their spatial extent. Here, we characterized flow regimes using modified sensors and macroinvertebrates in 75 streams within 4 glaciated alpine catchments in Switzerland, and conducted a flow intermittence experiment on colonization dynamics in an alpine tributary with permanent flow. The 50 day field experiment used replicated cages (7 treatments: drying frequency vs drying duration) filled with natural substrate. The survey investigated how the frequency, duration and timing of drying events affected macroinvertebrate structure/function among networks, while the latter tested the mechanistic basis of temporary flows on organic resources and zoobenthic assemblages. Survey results indicated structural/functional diversity as well as abundances of sensitive taxa responded negatively to increased intermittence, although differing between catchments. Early drying in autumn and late summer had strong effects on zoobenthic assemblages. The colonization experiment revealed that drying events of greater frequency and longer duration had the greatest effect on organic resources and the structure and function of benthic assemblages. Our research suggests that increasing flow intermittence in alpine catchments may drive significant changes in biodiversity, although being catchment specific depending on the environmental context. It is expected that flow intermittency will increase in alpine fluvial networks with strong implications of biodiversity.

Chris Robinson (Primary Presenter/Author), Eawag, robinson@eawag.ch;

Andres Grolimund (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Eawag/ethz, grolimund@eawag.ch;

Pierre Chanut (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Eawag/Ethz, pierre.chanut@vogelwarte.ch;

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