A food web perspective to better understand the impacts of multiple stressors on multitrophic riverine ecosystems

Rivers are essential for both humans and nature, but many are degraded by multiple human impacts that alter their biodiversity and functioning. The TrophicStress project studies how these impacts affect river food webs, from the organism level to the entire ecosystem. To do this, 27 rivers with varying degrees of alteration will be analyzed using techniques such as stable isotopes, which allow researchers to infer the feeding habits of organisms. The goal is to understand how the flow of energy and nutrients is affected in these ecosystems. The results will help predict the consequences of degradation and design better river conservation and restoration strategies.