Freshwater ecosystems under climate change: impacts across multiple levels of organisation

• Grant number: 19/08474-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Program on Global Climate Change - Thematic Grants
• Start date: March 01, 2021
• End date: February 28, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Ecology - Theoretical Ecology
• Principal Investigator: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Grantee: Gustavo Quevedo Romero
• Host Institution: Instituto de Biologia (IB). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Pesquisadores principais: Valeria Maia Merzel
• Associated researchers: Camila Rabelo Oliveira Leal ; DOMINGOS DE JESUS RODRIGUES ; Mathias Mistretta Pires ; Thiago Gonçalves Souza ; Thiago Junqueira Izzo ; Victor Satoru Saito
• Associated research grant(s): 23/01589-0 - Influence of aquatic-sourced subsidies on the resilience of receptor food webs in riparian forests, AP.R
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/17069-8 - How different climate change and land use scenarios affects microorganisms diversity and freshwater ecosystem functioning: a mesocosms experiment, BP.MS; 24/10486-2 - Global patterns of herbivory and responses to future climate changes, BP.DR; 24/03474-8 - Predicting the effects of climate change on aquatic community diversity: a natural gradients approach using a space-for-time substitution design, BP.PD; + associated scholarships 24/08143-0 - Technical activities in molecular analysis - SANGER method, BP.TT; 24/01611-8 - Climate change impacts on the dynamics of interaction networks and on the ecological patterns of microbial diversity in tropical aquatic ecosystems, BP.PD; 24/01870-3 - Ecological data management in the era of Big Data, BP.TT; 23/15690-4 - Bioinformatic analyses and data management of microbiomes of tropical aquatic ecosystems, BP.TT; 22/13301-8 - Effects of climate and human pressures on ecological network structure and energy flows in major Brazilian wetlands, BP.PD; 23/06228-5 - Nutrient enrichment and temperature increase as potential enhancers of priority effects: consequences for the structure of aquatic communities and the flow of energy and matter between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, BP.PD; 23/09413-8 - Ecological networks and energy flows in geothermal gradients, BP.DD; 23/01866-3 - Complex networks and energy fluxes in geothermal gradients, BP.TT; 22/13597-4 - Microorganisms as climate change proxies in tropical aquatic ecosystems: a molecular approach, BP.DD; 22/13302-4 - Continental aquatic ecosystems under climate change: impacts at multiple levels of organization, BP.TT; 22/01637-1 - Combined effects of temperature and litter quality and functional diversity on the structure and functioning of natural freshwater microecosystemss, BP.MS; 21/13299-0 - Effects of warming and nutrient enrichment on the structure and size spectra of aquatic communities, BP.PD; 20/06778-7 - Epiphytic Tank Bromeliads in tropical forests: unveiling their role for seedling and soil bacterial communities through stable isotopes and metagenomic, BP.DR; 22/03398-4 - Anthropogenic effects on the diversity and functioning of freshwater ecosystems, BP.TT; 21/14192-5 - Impact of climate change on the dynamics of interaction networks and on the ecological patterns of microbial diversity in aquatic ecosystems, BP.PD; 21/11950-6 - Unraveling the effects of global changes on multiple dimensions of ecological stability in aquatic ecosystems, BP.DR; 21/07916-7 - Predicting the effects of global warming on the stability of food webs, BP.DD; 17/26243-8 - Extreme rainfall events and their effects on the community structure and ecosystem functioning, BP.PD - associated scholarships

Abstract

Freshwater ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to climate change because (I) many species in these habitats have limited ability to disperse as the environment changes; (II) the temperature and availability of water are climate dependent; and (III) many systems are already exposed to several anthropogenic stressors. The aim of this project is to investigate the effects of global climate change (e.g., warming, thermal variability, precipitation), predicted for the next decades, on the structure, stability and dynamics of complex ecological networks (food webs), as well as on the multiple facets of biodiversity of macroinvertebrates and microorganisms, and consequences for ecosystem functioning. By means of field experiments using natural microcosms (e.g., bromeliads) and mesocosms comprised of lacustrine organisms, we will manipulate the effects of warming, thermal variability/instability, and precipitation in temperate and tropical communities. We will also use latitudinal, altitudinal and thermal gradients (i.e., geothermal streams), as well as their underlying climatic components, as effective natural experiments to investigate and monitor the impact of climate change on (I) the structure of food webs and (II) the alpha and beta taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversity of macroinvertebrates and aquatic microorganisms. The integrated results of this multidisciplinary Thematic Project will improve our understanding of the impacts of climate change at different scales on structural and functional characteristics of natural freshwater communities, and take preventive measures in future plans for global conservation. (AU)

Scientific publications

(29)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

NESSEL, MARK P.; KONNOVITCH, THERESA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; GONZALEZ, ANGELICA L.. Nitrogen and phosphorus enrichment cause declines in invertebrate populations: a global meta-analysis. BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, JUN 2021. (18/12225-0, 19/08474-8)

ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO AUGUSTO P.; PETCHEY, OWEN L.; REZENDE, FELIPE; MACHADO VELHO, LUIZ FELIPE; RODRIGUES, LUZIA CLEIDE; ROMERO, GUSTAVO QUEVEDO. arming and top predator loss drive direct and indirect effects on multiple trophic groups within and across ecosystem. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 91, n. 2, DEC 2021. (17/09052-4, 19/08474-8, 17/26243-8, 18/12225-0)

ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; GONCALVES-SOUZA, THIAGO; ROSLIN, TOMAS; MARQUIS, ROBERT J.; MARINO, NICHOLAS A. C.; NOVOTNY, VOJTECH; CORNELISSEN, TATIANA; ORIVEL, JEROME; SUI, SHEN; AIRES, GUSTAVO; et al. Climate variability and aridity modulate the role of leaf shelters for arthropods: A global experiment. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, v. 28, n. 11, p. 17-pg., 2022-03-21. (19/08474-8, 17/09052-4)

NASH, LIAM N.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; DE OMENA, PAULA M.; KRATINA, PAVEL. Warming of aquatic ecosystems disrupts aquatic-terrestrial linkages in the tropics. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 90, n. 7, p. 1623-1634, JUL 2021. (17/26243-8, 17/09052-4, 19/08474-8, 14/04603-4)

NASH, LIAM N.; KRATINA, PAVEL; RECALDE, FATIMA C.; JONES, JOHN IWAN; IZZO, THIAGO; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Tropical and temperate differences in the trophic structure and aquatic prey use of riparian predators. ECOLOGY LETTERS, v. N/A, p. 13-pg., 2023-10-09. (19/08474-8)

BANDO, FABIELLE M.; FIGUEIREDO, BRUNO R. S.; MOI, DIEISON A.; THOMAZ, SIDINEI M.; MICHELAN, THAISA S.; GARCIA-GIRON, JORGE; HEINO, JANI; ALAHUHTA, JANNE; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; MORMUL, ROGER P.. Invasion by an exotic grass species homogenizes native freshwater plant communities. JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 15-pg., 2023-01-09. (19/08474-8, 18/12225-0)

REZENDE, FELIPE; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; PETCHEY, OWEN L.; VELHO, LUIZ FELIPE M.; RODRIGUES, LUZIA C.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Trophic downgrading decreases species asynchrony and community stability regardless of climate warming. ECOLOGY LETTERS, v. 24, n. 12, SEP 2021. (14/04603-4, 19/08474-8, 17/26243-8, 18/12225-0)

SRIVASTAVA, DIANE S.; MACDONALD, A. ANDREW M.; PILLAR, VALERIO D.; KRATINA, PAVEL; DEBASTIANI, VANDERLEI J.; GUZMAN, LAURA MELISSA; TRZCINSKI, MARK KURTIS; DEZERALD, OLIVIER; BARBERIS, IGNACIO M.; DE OMENA, PAULA M.; et al. Geographical variation in the trait-based assembly patterns of multitrophic invertebrate communities. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, v. 37, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2022-06-09. (16/09699-5, 18/12225-0, 19/08474-8, 14/04603-4)

NASH, LIAM N. N.; ZORZETTI, LUCAS W. W.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; CARBONE, CHRIS; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q. Q.; KRATINA, PAVEL. Latitudinal patterns of aquatic insect emergence driven by climate. GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND BIOGEOGRAPHY, v. 32, n. 8, p. 13-pg., 2023-05-05. (19/08474-8, 17/26243-8, 18/12225-0)

MOI, DIEISON A.; KAUFMANN, PHILIP R.; RIATO, LUISA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; KRATINA, PAVEL; TEIXEIRA DE MELLO, FRANCO; HUGHES, ROBERT M.. Habitat Diversity Mitigates the Impacts of Human Pressure on Stream Biodiversity. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, v. 30, n. 10, p. 12-pg., 2024-10-01. (22/13301-8, 19/08474-8, 18/12225-0)

DOS SANTOS, DANILO F. B.; HERSCHBERGER, JACOB E.; SUBEDI, BIJAY; POCIUS, VICTORIA M.; NEELY, WESLEY J.; GREENSPAN, SASHA E.; BECKER, C. GUILHERME; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; KERSCH-BECKER, MONICA F.. Leaf Shelters Facilitate the Colonisation of Arthropods and Enhance Microbial Diversity on Plants. ECOLOGY LETTERS, v. 27, n. 9, p. 11-pg., 2024-09-01. (22/10765-3, 23/01589-0, 19/08474-8)

NESSEL, MARK P.; KONNOVITCH, THERESA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; GONZALEZ, ANGELICA L.. Decline of insects and arachnids driven by nutrient enrichment: A meta-analysis. ECOLOGY, v. N/A, p. 12-pg., 2023-01-03. (18/12225-0, 19/08474-8)

MOI, DIEISON A.; D'ANATRO, ALEJANDRO; GONZALEZ-BERGONZONI, IVAN; VIDAL, NICOLAS; SILVA, IVANA; GAUZENS, BENOIT; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; CARDINALE, BRADLEY J.; BONECKER, CLAUDIA C.; CARVALHO-ROCHA, VITOR; et al. Long-term changes in multi-trophic diversity alter the functioning of river food webs. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, v. 38, n. 8, p. 12-pg., 2024-05-21. (23/01589-0, 19/08474-8)

ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO AUGUSTO POLETO; VIEIRA, CAMILA; VIANA, JOAO VITOR DE ALCANTARA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO QUEVEDO. Floral and insect traits predict predation risk and neophobia impacts on flower-visiting insects' behavior. BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY AND SOCIOBIOLOGY, v. 79, n. 2, p. 13-pg., 2025-02-01. (17/26243-8, 22/10765-3, 23/01589-0, 19/08474-8)

NASH, LIAM N.; RECALDE, FATIMA C.; CHAMBERS, TIMOTHY; SAITO, VICTOR S.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; KRATINA, PAVEL. Aquatic-terrestrial linkages drive contrasting biodiversity patterns in tropical and temperate forests. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 292, n. 2038, p. 11-pg., 2025-01-08. (23/01589-0, 17/09052-4, 19/08474-8, 22/10765-3)

VIANA, JOAO VITOR DE ALCANTARA; DUARTE, RAFAEL CAMPOS; LAMBERTINI, CAROLINA; CAPOCCIA, FELIPE; MARTINS, ANNA LUIZA OLIVEIRA; VIEIRA, CAMILA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO QUEVEDO. Differential Survival and Background Selection in Cryptic Trunk-Dwelling Arthropods in Fire-Prone Environments. American Naturalist, v. 204, n. 6, p. 18-pg., 2024-12-01. (19/01934-3, 22/00946-0, 19/08474-8)

DE ALCANTARA VIANA, JOAO VITOR; DUARTE, RAFAEL CAMPOS; VIEIRA, CAMILA; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO AUGUSTO POLETO; BACH, ANDRESSA; DE MELLO, GABRIEL; SILVA, LORHAINE; LEAL, CAMILA RABELO OLIVEIRA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO QUEVEDO. Crypsis by background matching and disruptive coloration as drivers of substrate occupation in sympatric Amazonian bark praying mantises. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 13, n. 1, p. 15-pg., 2023-11-15. (22/10765-3, 19/08474-8, 19/01934-3, 17/26243-8, 22/00946-0)

ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; MOI, DIEISON A.; NASH, LIAM N.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; MORMUL, ROGER P.; KRATINA, PAVEL. Pervasive decline of subtropical aquatic insects over 20 years driven by water transparency, non-native fish and stoichiometric imbalance. BIOLOGY LETTERS, v. 17, n. 6, JUN 9 2021. (17/26243-8, 18/12225-0, 19/08474-8)

PEREIRA, CASSIO CARDOSO; NOVAIS, SAMUEL; BARBOSA, MILTON; NEGREIROS, DANIEL; GONCALVES-SOUZA, THIAGO; ROSLIN, TOMAS; MARQUIS, ROBERT; MARINO, NICHOLAS; NOVOTNY, VOJTECH; ORIVEL, JEROME; et al. Subtle structures with not-so-subtle functions: A data set of arthropod constructs and their host plants. ECOLOGY, v. 103, n. 4, p. 3-pg., 2022-03-07. (18/12225-0, 19/08474-8)

NESSEL, MARK P.; KONNOVITCH, THERESA; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; GONZALEZ, ANGELICA L.. itrogen and phosphorus enrichment cause declines in invertebrate populations: a global meta-analysi. BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS, v. 96, n. 6, p. 2617-2637, DEC 2021. (18/12225-0, 19/08474-8)

RECALDE, FATIMA C.; BREVIGLIERI, CRASSO P. B.; KERSCH-BECKER, MONICA F.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Contribution of emergent aquatic insects to the trophic variation of tropical birds and bats. FOOD WEBS, v. 29, DEC 2021. (19/08474-8, 18/12225-0, 17/09052-4)

MOI, DIEISON A.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; JEPPESEN, ERIK; KRATINA, PAVEL; ALVES, DIEGO C.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; DE MELLO, FRANCO TEIXEIRA; FIGUEIREDO, BRUNO R. S.; BONECKER, CLAUDIA C.; PIRES, ALINY P. F.; et al. egime shifts in a shallow lake over 12 years: Consequences for taxonomic and functional diversities, and ecosystem multifunctionalit. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 91, n. 3, p. 551-565, MAR 2022. (19/08474-8, 17/26243-8, 18/12225-0)

GONZALEZ, ANGELICA L.; MERDER, JULIAN; ANDRACZEK, KARL; BROSE, ULRICH; FILIPIAK, MICHAL; HARPOLE, W. STANLEY; HILLEBRAND, HELMUT; JACKSON, MICHELLE C.; JOCHUM, MALTE; LEROUX, SHAWN J.; et al. StoichLife: A Global Dataset of Plant and Animal Elemental Content. SCIENTIFIC DATA, v. 12, n. 1, p. 13-pg., 2025-04-03. (19/08474-8)

BENAVIDES-GORDILLO, SANDRA; GONZALEZ, ANGELICA L.; KERSCH-BECKER, MONICA F.; MORETTI, MARCELO S.; MOI, DIEISON A.; AIDAR, MARCOS P. M.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Warming and shifts in litter quality drive multiple responses in freshwater detritivore communities. SCIENTIFIC REPORTS, v. 14, n. 1, p. 14-pg., 2024-05-15. (22/10765-3, 23/01589-0, 19/08474-8)

BOLDORINI, GABRIEL X.; MCCARY, MATTHEW A.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; MILLS, KIRBY L.; SANDERS, NATHAN J.; REICH, PETER B.; MICHALKO, RADEK; GONCALVES-SOUZA, THIAGO. Predators control pests and increase yield across crop types and climates: a meta-analysis. PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, v. 291, n. 2018, p. 11-pg., 2024-03-06. (23/01589-0, 19/08474-8)

PICCOLI, GUSTAVO CAUE DE O.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO AUGUSTO P.; SRIVASTAVA, DIANE S.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Trophic cascades within and across ecosystems: The role of anti-predatory defences, predator type and detritus quality. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 93, n. 6, p. 14-pg., 2024-02-25. (18/12225-0, 19/08474-8, 17/09052-4, 23/10481-8)

MOI, DIEISON A.; BARRIOS, MARGENNY; TESITORE, GIANCARLO; BURWOOD, MAITE; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; MORMUL, ROGER P.; KRATINA, PAVEL; JUEN, LEANDRO; MICHELAN, THAISA S.; MONTAG, LUCIANO F. A.; et al. Human land-uses homogenize stream assemblages and reduce animal biomass production. Journal of Animal Ecology, v. 92, n. 6, p. 14-pg., 2023-04-11. (19/08474-8, 18/12225-0)

CEREGHINO, REGIS; TRZCINSKI, MARK KURTIS; MACDONALD, A. ANDREW M.; MARINO, NICHOLAS A. C.; ACOSTA MERCADO, DIMARIS; LEROY, CELINE; CORBARA, BRUNO; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.; FARJALLA, VINICIUS F.; BARBERIS, IGNACIO M.; et al. Functional redundancy dampens precipitation change impacts on species-rich invertebrate communities across the Neotropics. FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, v. 36, n. 7, p. 14-pg., 2022-04-14. (14/04603-4, 19/08474-8, 12/51143-3)

PEREIRA, THALES A.; VIEIRA, SIMONE A.; OLIVEIRA, RAFAEL S.; ANTIQUEIRA, PABLO A. P.; MIGLIORINI, GUSTAVO H.; ROMERO, GUSTAVO Q.. Local drivers of heterogeneity in a tropical forest: epiphytic tank bromeliads affect the availability of soil resources and conditions and indirectly affect the structure of seedling communities. Oecologia, v. 199, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2022-05-08. (19/08474-8, 17/09052-4, 12/51872-5)