02153naa a2200241 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400520006010000110011224500720012326000090019550000180020452015130022265000180173570000140175370000160176770000170178370000150180070000140181570000170182970000190184677300460186521688032024-11-05       2024    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 ahttps://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-024-00596-02DOI1 aHE, F.  aHydropower impacts on riverine biodiversity.h[electronic resource]  c2024  aOnline Fisrt.  aAbstract: Hydropower is a rapidly developing and globally important source of renewable electricity. Globally, over 60% of rivers longer than 500 km are already fragmented and thousands of dams are proposed on rivers in biodiversity hotspots. In this Review, we discuss the impacts of hydropower on aquatic and semi-aquatic species in riverine ecosystems and how these impacts accumulate spatially and temporally across basins. Dams act as physical barriers that disrupt longitudinal connectivity and upstream–downstream movement of species. Impoundment creates still-water habitats upstream of dams and leads to declines in lotic-adapted species. Intermittent water releases modify the natural fow, sediment and thermal regimes in downstream channels, altering water quality, substrate structure and environmental cues that are vital for species to complete their life cycles, resulting in reduced reproduction success. Moreover, retention efects of reservoirs and fow regulation alter river–foodplain exchanges of water, sediment and nutrients, modifying the habitats on which riverine species depend. Improvements to fow regulation, fshway design and sediment redistribution can mitigate these ecological impacts. Future research should support reforms to dam operations and design adaptations to balance renewable electricity development and biodiversity conservation through systematic basin-scale planning, long-term monitoring, adaptive management and involving multiple actors in decision-making.  aHidrelétrica1 aZARFL, C.1 aTOCKNER, K.1 aOLDEN, J. D.1 aCAMPOS, Z.1 aMUNIZ, F.1 aSVENNING, J.1 aJÄHNIG, S. C.  tNature Reviews Earth & Environment, 2024.