Monitoring the Responses of Freshwater Ecosystems to Climate Change - Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems - page 91

Spread of alien
species

Higher temperatures often
favour alien fish, macrophyte
or macroinvertebrate species.

Share of alien
species in the
community

This parameter can often
be inferred from routine
monitoring for the Water
Framework Directive.

(x) x x

Water temperature
effects on food webs

Increased water temperature
generates principal shifts in
food webs. As cyprinid
planktivorous fish species are
supported, large zooplankton
species are suppressed and
grazing intensity is reduced.

Proportion of
planktivorous and
piscivorous fish
species; proportion
of large and small
zooplankton
species

Food web structure is well
reflected by these two
parameters. The share of
large zooplankton species
determines the effects on
phytoplankton, the share
of planktivorous species
determines the effects on
zooplankton.

x x x

Food webs

Category: ecosystem component being affected by direct or indirect climate change effects. Response: describes how the variables change under the stressor
considered. Indicator: a judgemental selection of the variables that most clearly reflect climate change.