Aquatic Food Webs

Overview

Aquatic food webs are networks of feeding relationships among organisms in freshwater and marine ecosystems, describing how energy and nutrients flow from primary producers through various consumer levels to top predators. Research published in the International Journal of Limnology examines how environmental stressors affect these interconnected biological systems, with particular attention to the vulnerabilities created by climate change and extreme hydrological events. Studies investigate how alterations in water conditions—including floods, droughts, and temperature shifts—can disrupt the delicate balance of aquatic food webs, affecting both ecosystem health and human populations that depend on these systems. This research addresses the determinants that influence risk in aquatic environments, recognizing that changes at any trophic level can cascade through the entire food web structure. Understanding these dynamics matters because aquatic food webs support fisheries, maintain water quality, and provide ecosystem services essential to human welfare. As climate variability intensifies, identifying the specific mechanisms through which extreme events destabilize these networks becomes critical for developing effective management strategies and reducing environmental and public health risks in freshwater systems.

Research published in this journal

1 peer-reviewed article, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.

Related topics