Differential effects of freshwater browning across fish species: consequences for individual- to community-level fish traits in north temperate lakes.

ABSTRACT: The browning of freshwater ecosystems is increasingly evident in temperate and northern regions, with widespread ramifications for lake physics, chemistry, and biology. Contrasting results on how freshwater browning may impact fish have been reported, but there has been no comprehensive examination of how browning may cause cascading effects on individual- to population- to community-level traits of freshwater fishes. We addressed this knowledge gap by summarizing the existing literature and conducting a series of original analyses to: (i) explore the effects of a brown water gradient on populations of eight economically important species of fish across 871 lakes; and (ii) examine how a brown water gradient may influence community trait compositions across 303 lakes. From our literature sy

SUBMITTER: Roth AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12783421 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature