Threats of global warming to the world's freshwater fishes

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 12; no. 1; pp. 1701 - 10
• Main Authors: Barbarossa, Valerio, Bosmans, Joyce, Wanders, Niko, King, Henry, Bierkens, Marc F P, Huijbregts, Mark A J, Schipper, Aafke M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Nature Publishing Group 15.03.2021; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Animals; Arid regions; Arid zones; Biodiversity; Climate Change; Emissions control; Environmental assessment; Fishes; Fresh Water; Freshwater fish; Global Warming; Hot Temperature; Models, Biological; Phylogeny; Species; Species Specificity; Temperature; Threat evaluation; Threats; Water temperature
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21655-w

Climate change poses a significant threat to global biodiversity, but freshwater fishes have been largely ignored in climate change assessments. Here, we assess threats of future flow and water temperature extremes to ~11,500 riverine fish species. In a 3.2 °C warmer world (no further emission cuts after current governments' pledges for 2030), 36% of the species have over half of their present-day geographic range exposed to climatic extremes beyond current levels. Threats are largest in tropical and sub-arid regions and increases in maximum water temperature are more threatening than changes in flow extremes. In comparison, 9% of the species are projected to have more than half of their present-day geographic range threatened in a 2 °C warmer world, which further reduces to 4% of the species if warming is limited to 1.5 °C. Our results highlight the need to intensify (inter)national commitments to limit global warming if freshwater biodiversity is to be safeguarded.