View from Varen church of the Pfynwald floodplain with the Rhone (looking downstream), gravel banks and dry gravel terraces with pine forest. (Photo: Jan Ryser/BAFU)
View from Varen church of the Pfynwald floodplain with the Rhone (looking downstream), gravel banks and dry gravel terraces with pine forest. (Photo: Jan Ryser/BAFU) Ecological communities in rivers and lakes are responding to climate change in a similar way to communities on land. This is shown by the first comprehensive comparison of freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems around the globe, co-led by Eawag and WSL. When temperatures rise, warm-loving species are the main beneficiaries. One surprising exception may be the plankton. As it gets warmer, many species are forced to leave their established habitats, moving northwards or upwards in elevation in search of cooler climates. Locally, cold-adapted species may be lost, displaced by warm-loving species.
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