Environmental Flows as a Proactive Tool to Mitigate the Impacts of Climate Warming on Freshwater Macroinvertebrates

What would happen in Mediterranean rivers and streams if warming but not drying occurred? We examined whether the delivery of environmental flows within a climate can maintain suitable macroinvertebrate habitats despite warming. A two-dimensional ecohydraulic model was used to (1) simulate influence water temperature flow on macroinvertebrates by calculating habitat suitability for 12 change scenarios (2) identify mechanism which assemblages respond The results suggest that all watersheds will be equally influenced impact depends conditions before occurs. Watersheds can, thus, categorized as losing (those degrade current optimal thermal conditions) winning ones optimize sub-optimal conditions, until given limit). Our models indicate watersheds, (and, healthy assemblages) up 1.8–2.5 °C In when are optimal. Environmental could, proactive strategy/tool mitigate ecological impacts more expensive reactive measures changing become necessary.