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  • COMMENT

Prepare river ecosystems for an uncertain future

As the climate warms, we can’t restore waterways to pristine condition, but models can predict potential changes, argue Jonathan D. Tonkin, N. LeRoy Poff and colleagues.
By
  1. Jonathan D. Tonkin

    1. Jonathan D. Tonkin is a Rutherford Discovery Fellow in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand.

  2. N. LeRoy Poff

    1. N. LeRoy Poff is a professor in the Department of Biology at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, USA, and at the Institute for Applied Ecology, University of Canberra, Australia.

  3. Nick R. Bond

    1. Nick R. Bond is director of the Centre for Freshwater Ecosystems and professor of freshwater ecology at La Trobe University, Wodonga, Victoria, Australia.

  4. Avril Horne

    1. Avril Horne is a DECRA fellow in the Water, Agriculture and Environment Program, School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.

  5. David. M. Merritt

    1. David. M. Merritt is a Riparian Plant Ecologist in the Watershed, Fisheries, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants Staff and the National Stream and Aquatic Ecology Center, US Department of Agriculture. Forest Service, Fort Collins, USA.

  6. Lindsay V. Reynolds

    1. Lindsay V. Reynolds is a postdoctoral researcher in the Watershed, Fisheries, Wildlife, Air and Rare Plants Staff and the National Stream and Aquatic Ecology Center, US Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Fort Collins, USA.

  7. Julian D. Olden

    1. Julian D. Olden is a professor in the School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences at the University of Washington, Seattle, USA.

  8. Albert Ruhi

    1. Albert Ruhi is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy, and Management at the University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, USA.

  9. David A. Lytle

    1. David A. Lytle is a professor in the Department of Integrative Biology at Oregon State University, Corvallis, USA.

In January, millions of fish died in Australia’s Murray–Darling Basin as the region experienced some of its driest and hottest weather on record. The heat also caused severe water shortages for people living there. Such harsh conditions will become more common as the world warms. Iconic and valuable species such as the Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii peelii) — Australia’s largest freshwater fish — could vanish, threatening biodiversity and livelihoods.

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Nature 570, 301-303 (2019)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-019-01877-1

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