Aquatic landscapes face severe threats from human activities propelling their deterioration. Waterscape degradation represents a main driver of the current diversity crisis, but its large-scale consequences for ecoregions are difficult to quantify. Here we provide a framework to assess the potential impact of waterscape degradation by simulating diversity decay of European ecoregions. Through this approach, we aim to identify regional sensitivity patterns to degradation and its large-scale determinants.

Cunillera-Montcusí D., Borthagaray A.I., Bou J. & Arim M. 2025. Degrading Waterscapes and Decaying Diversities: Assessing Habitat Loss and Fragmentation Consequences on Simulated Diversity Patterns Across European Freshwater Ecoregions. Global Ecology and Biogeography 34(8): e70103. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70103