CANBERRA, ACT, March 6 -- Murray-Darling Basin Authority issued the following news release:

In the next decade, it is likely that temperatures will rise, and there will be less water in the Basin due to the changing climate. This will impact where water-based animals and plants can live.

Animals and plants have specific habitat needs for their survival. For an animal, this means food, water and shelter and their ability to find a mate and reproduce. For a plant, a habitat must provide the right combination of light, air, water, and soil. Understanding the specific needs of species is crucial for managing water to support them in the future.

To better understand their water needs, this new research aimed to find out where aquatic animals and plants live now in the Murray-Darling Basin and how this might change in the future. Different species have adapted to live in certain environments. For example, lignum grows on floodplains and riverbanks and needs some flooding to reproduce.

Researchers looked at survey records to see where animals and plants live in the Basin now. They looked at:

They compared this data with information on climate, land use, geography, and river flows. Computer models were created to determine current habitat suitability for various species in the Basin. Current suitable habitat is where species are found now in locations that provide food, water and shelter.

Next, researchers predicted where appropriate habitats for species might be found under hotter and drier conditions. This will influence where species could live from 2030 and beyond. They modeled species distributions under low, medium, and high future climate impacts.

The results showed a range of outcomes. Some invasive species, like carp, goldfish, and mosquitofish, may spread as more habitats become suitable for their needs. Native fish species, such as Murray cod, Australian rainbow fish, Australian smelt, carp gudgeons, and bony herring, are expected to decrease in distribution.

Many invertebrates can handle various conditions. Some may even expand their habitats with a changing climate. However, some shrimp, water spiders, and midges are predicted to decrease in range due to less suitable habitat.

Suitable habitats for river and wetland plants will likely decrease in drier future climates because they need wet conditions. Less water means less suitable enviroments for them.

Using these models, we can:

* identify areas with threatened species * identify areas with high species richness * help prioritise water management options * inform biodiversity conservation * shape natural resource management decisions.

This research will positively influence management decisions at the Basin and catchment scale.

Disclaimer: Curated by HT Syndication.