Effects of Terrestrial Disturbances on Freshwater Biogeochemistry, Ecology, and Functioning

Freshwater ecosystems are closely linked to their terrestrial surroundings through complex physical, chemical, and ecological interactions. They receive terrestrial inputs from surrounding catchments, which influences their water chemistry, light penetration, and thermal structure. Terrestrial dissolved organic matter, for example, enhance the “browning” of freshwaters, altering photosynthetically active zones and reshaping aquatic habitats. Terrestrial inputs affect microbial loops, food webs, and biomass production, but their effects are context-dependent: in nutrient-poor lakes, terrestrial inputs can enhance productivity, while in humic or eutrophic systems, additional inputs may limit light availability and suppress productivity. Natural disturbances, such as wildfires or insect outbreaks, and anthropogenic activities like logging, agriculture or mining, modify the quantity, quality, and timing of terrestrial exports, yet their long-term impacts on aquatic communities and ecosystem resilience remain poorly understood.

This Research Topic aims to synthesize and advance our understanding of how terrestrial disturbances, both natural and anthropogenic, affect freshwater ecosystems. We seek contributions that explore the biogeochemical and ecological consequences of altered terrestrial inputs on the functioning of lakes, rivers, or wetlands, including effects on food-web dynamics and ecosystem resilience. This collection encourages studies across temporal scales, including contemporary monitoring, experimental manipulations, and paleolimnological reconstructions, to capture both immediate and long-term responses. Key goals include identifying mechanisms by which disturbances modify terrestrial inputs quantity and quality, evaluating how these changes propagate through microbial loops and higher trophic levels, and understanding context-dependencies shaped by ecosystem type, trophic status, or catchment characteristics. By integrating diverse approaches and systems, this Research Topic will provide a framework to predict and manage freshwater responses to ongoing environmental change, supporting the development of more sustainable strategies for the conservation and management of lakes and their surrounding landscapes.

We invite Original Research articles, Reviews, and Perspectives that investigate the effects of terrestrial disturbances on freshwater biogeochemistry, ecology, and functioning. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to: the influence of wildfires, insect outbreaks, thawing permafrost, logging, mining, and land-use change on terrestrial inputs; impacts on microbial processes, food webs, and aquatic biodiversity; and studies combining observational, experimental, or paleolimnological approaches. Contributions addressing the mechanisms linking terrestrial disturbances to freshwater responses, as well as studies assessing management or restoration strategies, are particularly welcome.

Authors should follow the journal’s guidelines for submission and formatting. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high scientific quality. We encourage interdisciplinary contributions that advance understanding of land–water interactions across spatial and temporal scales

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Land-Water Interaction, Biogeochemistry, Food Webs, Water Quality, Ecology

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.