Water, Wildlife and the World: A Global Synthesis of Trends in Wildlife Ecohydrology Research

ABSTRACT Ecohydrology and hydroecology are interdisciplinary fields that examine the interactions between ecology and hydrology to address critical issues pertaining to both disciplines. However, the study of ‘ecology’ in ecohydrology research has largely focused on vegetation, leading to a gap in knowledge regarding direct relationships between wildlife and hydrology. We followed a scoping review approach and synthesised research from 189 articles to explore the extent to which vertebrate wildlife ecohydrology is being studied and highlight opportunities for future research. Articles published between 1989 and 2023 focused primarily on fish taxa in river ecosystems with few studying marine and terrestrial habitats. Fewer than 2% of vertebrate species studied were mammals or reptiles, although these species tended to be at risk. On average, fish, mammals and birds were studied for > 8 years per study, whereas amphibians were studied for < 5 and reptiles for only 3 years. While wildlife population abundance was frequently associated with water level and discharge, research rarely integrated wildlife variables with hydrological connectivity or soil properties. Future studies should prioritise collaborative and co‐produced research directed towards species‐at‐risk, particularly among birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Wildlife ecohydrology research would also benefit from integrating transformative monitoring tools and techniques, such as the application of environmental DNA (eDNA), and from more explicit consideration of groundwater dynamics. Wildlife ecohydrology research is increasingly important given the pressures placed on wildlife and ecosystems from climate change. Understanding the relationships between hydrology and wildlife will inform management priorities and advance conservation strategies.