Study finds warmer streams may weaken river food webs

by Northern Arizona University
April 17, 2026

Rising stream temperatures may be weakening the foundation of river food webs by altering how carbon moves through these watery ecosystems. 

In a new study published in the journal Ecosphere, researchers from Northern Arizona University found that when water temperatures increase, microbes and aquatic insects process fallen leaves, twigs and bark more rapidly, but a smaller fraction of that leaf litter supports their growth and a bigger fraction is released into the water and air as carbon dioxide.  

The findings point to a shift in how river ecosystems retain energy under warming conditions, with implications for plants and animals in rivers across the western United States. 

“Warming doesn’t just speed up biological processes in streams—it changes how efficiently organisms turn carbon into biomass, with more of it being lost as CO₂,” said Michael Zampini, a postdoctoral researcher at NAU and the lead author of the study. 

Keep reading: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1124723

Read the Ecosphere paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecs2.70585