Human activities and global climate change affect ecosystems, species, and human services and resources (Dudgeon et al., 2006; Reid et al., 2019). Freshwater ecosystems are the most fragile habitats, hosting roughly 7% of the world’s biodiversity on 1% of land and 0.01% of water (Gleick, 1996; Reid et al., 2019). Human population growth exacerbates climate change, pollution, water abstraction, impoundment of streams and rivers, nutrient and organic matter loading, invasive species, wetland degradation and loss, and other stressors (Dudgeon et al., 2006; Vörösmarty et al., 2010; Cazzolla Gatti, 2016). Knowledge of freshwater ecosystem structure and function helps us understand how they react to different pressures. This knowledge guides freshwater ecosystem conservation, management, and decision-support tools.