Rainfall reshapes river ecosystems and food webs, study finds

by Joseph Caterine, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary
October 12, 2026

Global warming is often treated as synonymous with climate change, but rising temperatures are only one consequence of the human-driven phenomenon. Changes in rainfall patterns are another, but their effects on ecosystems are less understood.

In fact, rain has an outsized impact on the ecology of rivers, according to a new study led by William & Mary’s VIMS & Batten School and published in the journal Ecology. Researchers found that less annual rainfall destabilizes stream ecosystems, reducing the complexity of the food webs and reorganizing the distribution of animal mass.

“Climate change is fundamentally changing the structure and function of these rivers. These shifting food webs might be an early warning sign we’ll need to pay attention to,” said lead author Bradley Strickland, a former postdoctoral research associate at the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS.

Keep reading: https://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/2026/rainfall-reshapes-river-ecosystems-and-food-webs-study-finds.php

Read the Ecology paper: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ecy.70501