Limited Thermal Capacity of Amazonian Fishes to Survive in a Warming World

The Amazon basin contains more than 15% of the world’s freshwater fishes, many of ecological and economical importance. Unfortunately, research suggests that tropical species, which have adapted to a thermally stable environment, are most at risk with a long-term increase above current temperatures, which is worrisome when the Amazon could experience an increase in air temperature of up to +6.5 °C within the next century. In this chapter, we review the thermal limits of Amazonian fishes and their capacity to acclimate to warm temperatures. Furthermore, we explore how this thermal tolerance data may be incorporated into prediction models to evaluate Amazonian fish’s vulnerability to thermal stress and highlight the research that is needed to better understand their capacity to acclimate to a warming world.