ABSTRACT

Drought is an important driver of change in aquatic ecosystems and generally acts as a filter to select biological traits capable of persisting under severe environmental circumstances. Drylands are highly vulnerable to climate change and increases in climate variability. Consequently, an increase in the processes of eutrophication, salinization, and habitat desiccation may be observed in response to the loss of the hydrological connectivity. The International Network on Limnology of Drylands (INLD) was created with the overall goal of understanding the functioning and conservation status of aquatic ecosystems in drylands globally. INLD was made official in 2016 through the International Society of Limnology. Its objectives are to (1) assess the current state of biological diversity in dryland aquatic ecosystems, (2) evaluate the multiple environmental stressors acting in drylands, and (3) develop models to predict effects of global change on drylands. This special issue, Limnology of Drylands, consists of 10 manuscripts focused on the effects of environmental pressures, including global warming, on the biodiversity and distribution of aquatic communities in drylands.

摘要

干旱是水生生态系统变化的重要驱动力，通常充当筛选条件，以选择能够在恶劣的环境条件下持续存在的生物特征。旱地极易受到气候变化的影响，并增加了气候变化性。因此，随着水文连通性的丧失，富营养化，盐碱化和栖息地干燥的过程可能会增加。建立了国际旱地湖泊生物学网络（INLD），其总体目标是了解全球旱地水生生态系统的功能和保护状况。INLD于2016年通过国际淋巴学会正式宣布成立。其目标是（1）评估旱地水生生态系统中生物多样性的现状，（2）评估干旱地区的多种环境压力源，以及（3）建立模型以预测全球变化对干旱地区的影响。这个特刊干旱地区的湖泊生物学，由10篇论文组成，着重研究环境压力（包括全球变暖）对干旱地区生物多样性和水生群落分布的影响。