Freshwater Ecosystems Under Global Changes​​​​​​​

Freshwater ecosystems, including rivers, lakes, ponds, and wetlands, play a critical role in sustaining biodiversity, regulating biogeochemical cycles, and providing services essential to human well-being. However, these systems are increasingly degraded by global environmental change and anthropogenic disturbances. Climate warming, urbanization, land-use transformation, and hydraulic engineering have collectively altered hydrological regimes, increased pollution levels, and undermined ecological balance. Recent studies demonstrate the accelerating loss of freshwater biodiversity and functional integrity, yet the interactive effects of multiple stressors remain insufficiently understood. This gap challenges efforts to predict ecological trajectories and design effective conservation responses. A deeper comprehension of ecosystem resilience mechanisms is therefore vital to guide restoration practices and promote adaptive management under ongoing global changes.This Research Topic aims to advance understanding of how freshwater ecosystems respond, adapt, and recover from concurrent environmental stressors to inform effective conservation and restoration strategies. It seeks to elucidate the mechanisms that underpin ecological integrity, resilience, and adaptive capacity of freshwater communities across spatial and temporal scales. By integrating ecological, hydrological, and biogeochemical perspectives, this Research Topic encourages studies that quantify ecosystem responses to human-induced and climatic pressures and translate findings into actionable frameworks for maintaining and restoring freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem function.To gather further insights into the conservation and restoration dimensions of freshwater systems under global change, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:Interactions of multiple stressors in shaping freshwater ecosystem structure and functionImpacts of hydrological alterations and hydraulic engineering on biodiversity and resiliencePollution dynamics, ecological thresholds, and recovery potential of aquatic habitatsFunctional responses and ecosystem process changes under global environmental pressuresMechanisms of resistance, adaptation, and restoration in degraded freshwater systemsIntegrated strategies for adaptive management, conservation planning, and ecological restoration of freshwater ecosystems Topic editors: Hongyong Xiang, Zhenxing Zhang, Kun Li Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/82699/freshwater-ecosystems-under-global-changes