Dataset for "climatic gradient drives energy flow and consumer production in streams"

As climate change disrupts precipitation patterns, its impact on ecosystems remains uncertain. Rainfall drives the ecology of rivers shaping flow regimes and riparian zones with potentially profound effects on productivity. Leveraging the steepest non-montane rainfall gradient in the continental United States, we conducted the first ever study of secondary production of both fish and invertebrates across multiple streams through multiple years. We found that fish productivity, biomass turnover rates, and annual variability in production doubled in drier regions, while invertebrate production and biomass also increased with decreasing rainfall. Additionally, food webs in arid regions shifted from detritus-based systems, driven by dense riparian vegetation, to algae-based systems, where open canopies and high light availability boosted algal growth and herbivore production. These findings reveal that changes in rainfall patterns due to climate change could dramatically reshape river ecosystems altering their productivity and food web structure and affecting ecosystem services and biodiversity.