Lise Comte: Some Like It Hot (And Slow): How Vulnerable Are Freshwater Fishes To Climate Change?
Channel: Fishbase Sweden
Date: 2019-11-08

Lise Comte, University of Tennessee, USA, gave a lecture titled "Some Like It Hot (And Slow): How Vulnerable Are Freshwater Fishes To Climate Change?" at FishBase Symposium 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden, 21 October 2019.

ABSTRACT: As climate changes across already heavily human-altered streams and rivers, there is no doubt that aquatic organisms will be affected. Essentially, species are faced with three main alternatives, either stay put and adapt, move to track shifting climates, or die – potentially resulting in substantial community‐wide reshuffling. Freshwater fishes are thought to be particularly vulnerable because of their dependence on water temperature and flow and constrained distribution within river networks. Yet, to what extent and which fish species or areas are the most vulnerable is still uncertain.
 
In this talk, I will provide several lines of evidence regarding the vulnerability of freshwater fishes to climate change. First, I will present the results of a global-scale vulnerability assessment based on a combination of physiological estimates of thermal sensitivity, future climate change exposure and adaptive capacity of species. I will then introduce clear cases of climate-induced alterations in fish distribution ranges and community composition and discuss the value of long-term monitoring efforts to better inform the management of freshwater resources.