Impacts on Freshwater Species and Habitats

Impacts of a changing climate on freshwater species and habitats may produce the following ecological consequences:

• Sex ratios of some turtles, alligators and crocodiles may become skewed if animals cannot adapt to changing temperature patterns.
• Nest failures of American crocodiles, alligators, and other land-nesting aquatic animals may increase as intensity and frequency of storms, flooding, or fire events increase.
• Seasonal streams and wetlands may decrease due to longer, drier periods, reducing habitat for wetland wildlife.
• A potential loss of freshwater habitat connectivity due to longer, drier periods.
• Possible increased fish kills and loss of aquatic species diversity due to declines in dissolved oxygen in streams, lakes and wetlands.
• Potential changes in aquatic invertebrates (animals without backbones) that dwell on or in the bottom sediments of tidal rivers and streams due to increased penetration of saltwater (e.g., clams, crayfish and a wide variety of worms).