Fish mortality in the Amazonian drought of 2023: the role of experimental biology in our response to climate change

Higher temperatures exacerbate drought conditions by increasing evaporation rates, reducing soil moisture and altering precipitation patterns. As global temperatures rise as a result of climate change, these effects intensify, leading to more frequent and severe droughts. This link between higher temperatures and drought is particularly evident in sensitive ecosystems like the Amazon rainforest, where reduced rainfall and higher evaporation rates result in significantly lower water levels, threatening biodiversity and human livelihoods. As an example, the serious drought experienced in the Amazon basin in 2023 resulted in a significant decline in fish populations. Elevated water temperatures, reaching up to 38°C, led to mass mortality events, because these temperatures surpass the thermal tolerance of many Amazonian fish species. We know this because our group has collected data on critical thermal maxima (CTmax) for various fish species over multiple years. Additionally, warmer waters can cause hypoxia, further exacerbating fish mortality. Thus, even Amazon fish species, which have relatively high thermal tolerance, are being impacted by climate change. The Amazon drought experienced in 2023 underscores the urgent need for climate action to mitigate the devastating effects on Amazonian biodiversity. The fact that we have been able to link fish mortality events to data on the thermal tolerance of fishes emphasizes the important role of experimental biology in elucidating the mechanisms behind these events, a link that we aim to highlight in this Perspective.