Page 568 - e-Book

Perils of Climate Change on Freshwater Ecosystem: Need for Immediate

Action

Ria Ghosh*, Sandeepa Chowdhury, and Puja Ray

Multitrophic Interactions and Biocontrol Research Laboratory, Department of Life Sciences,
Presidency University, 86/1 College Street, Kolkata-700073, India.

*Email of corresponding author: riaabhi@yahoo.com

ABSTRACT

Escalating the human population and their reckless activities have led to increased levels of
greenhouse gases and other pollutants in the atmosphere accelerating global warming and

other climatic changes associated with consequences with extremes like cyclone, drought,
flood, etc. Freshwater ecosystems are vital for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem

services globally. The contamination of freshwater ecosystems is one of the major threats to

the biota worldwide as it is vulnerable to the impacts of environmental change and may cause
irreversible damage to maintaining nature’s ecological balance. Here, we are emphasizing the

knowledge on how one of the major ongoing drivers-climatic change, is negatively affecting
the freshwater ecosystem to provide the scope in taking measures and decisions about the

succeeding challenges by studying the data and using different well-designed models and
experiments. Climatic change subsequently leads to the variation in nutrients concentration,

water chemistry alteration, water flow regimes, depth, and many other factors having both

direct and indirect impacts on living organisms of the freshwater ecosystem by converting the
limnology, native community’s physiological behavior, reproduction, community structure,

composition, interaction level, population dynamics, the growth pattern of organisms and
subsequently decrease and changes in community composition. Attention should be given to

sustainable development and safeguard the freshwater ecosystem by recycling non-

biodegradable objects, filtration, mitigating human interference in the freshwater ecosystem.
Both the development and proper implementation of the guidelines by the Government and

mass awareness are needed to restore the ecological balance and native biodiversity of the
freshwater ecosystem.

Keywords: Climatic changes, human interference, freshwaters, aquatic biodiversity, adverse

effects.

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