Wild Virginia recently hosted Paul Angermeier, an expert in his field, for a webinar on climate change and impacts on freshwater systems. This lively discussion revolved around Paul Angermeier’s research on ecology and conservation of stream fishes, ecosystem services provided by watersheds, and the use of biotic communities to assess aquatic ecosystem health. With decades of experience working for Virginia Tech and the U.S. Geological Survey, he educates the viewers on the importance of climate change effects on stream environments and the fish species most vulnerable to climate change.

The webinar covers various aspects of freshwater systems and the impact climate change has had on them in recent years, including the ecology of Virginia freshwater fishes, the key physical dimensions of climate change, and the main consequences for freshwater fish.

Virginia has a diverse freshwater fish population, with over 200 native species. These different species have specific needs in order to survive, but climate change is affecting water temperatures, food supplies, and reproductive habitats, and therefore negatively impacting many freshwater fish species. 

Climate change poses significant threats for the health and stability of these ecosystems. Using predictive climate models for precipitation and temperature, Paul Angermeier projects more temporal variation in streamflow, higher water temperatures, and increased fine sediment. Suitable habitat for many freshwater fishes will decrease as a result from these effects. Some groups of fish that are especially susceptible to ecosystem changes are benthic fish, specialist feeders, and fishes that provide parental care. These findings come from various studies that Dr. Angermeier and other researchers have conducted throughout Virginia. 

The topics addressed in this webinar intersects with much of the work Wild Virginia does, especially in the areas of water quality and aquatic connectivity. Subscribe to Wild Virginia’s YouTube to watch the entirety of this webinar or to watch more of our past events, and check out our Event Brite for more enlightening events in the future!