A global review of freshwater ecosystems, fish, and wildfire

Climate change coupled with fire suppression has led to an increase in wildfires worldwide. With this increase, there has been a proliferation of studies on freshwater species including fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and algae. Similarly, numerous studies have focused on water quality and physical aspects of streams after wildfire including temperature, flow, sediments/turbidity, nutrients, and riparian vegetation. Despite decades of work, the scientific community remains uncertain about how freshwater species and streams will respond to wildfire owing to a lack of syntheses of the literature and an understanding of how it varies across regions. Here, we ask: what has been studied, how wildfire affects freshwater habitat and animals, how do freshwater habitats and animals recover from wildfire, and where are the major knowledge gaps? Our estimations of the effects of wildfire on freshwaters and fish will support a more rigorous assessment of the effects of disturbance to fish, thus supporting decisions that are more informed related to wildfire and effects on fish and freshwater ecosystems.

Impact/Purpose

This presentation will summarize a meta-analysis of studies linking wildfires to aquatic ecosystems and fish populations. The reported effects of wildfire on fish populations and aquatic ecosystems have been highly variable, in part because some watersheds are more sensitive and vulnerable than others, and wildfire impacts can be moderated by watershed condition, post-fire weather, and other factors that can vary widely across different settings.  In this review, we examine trends and patterns in how wildfire affects freshwater habitat and animals, how  freshwater habitats and animals recover from wildfire, and identify major remaining knowledge gaps.

Citation

Penaluna, B., A. Swartz, R. Flitcroft, I. Arismendi, A. Coble, M. Krawchuk, AND Joe Ebersole. A global review of freshwater ecosystems, fish, and wildfire. American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, September 15 - 19, 2024.