Adaptive capacity of Inland Fishes Workshop Summary

Adaptive capacity (AC), defined as the ability of a species to cope with or adjust to climate change, is a critical determinant of species vulnerability and has been widely applied in wildlife contexts (IPCC 2014, Thurman et al. 2020). This process can be further defined with respect to intrinsic capacities versus extrinsic constraints on AC (Beever et al. 2016, Thurman et al. 2020). Previous applications of AC to biological systems have largely occurred through climate change vulnerability assessments (CCVAs; Thurman et al. 2020), and select examples exist in wildlife applications (Beever et al. 2023, Thurman et al. 2022). However, there is little understanding and application of adaptive capacity to inland fishes given previous emphases on trait-based approaches and population-level management. Therefore, there are substantial opportunities to improve our understanding of AC for inland fishes to explore climate impacts and the mechanisms by which interventions affect AC and resulting climate vulnerability.