Assessing the Ecological Processes of Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems Under Environmental Stress

Freshwater and Marine Ecosystems are important components to ensure global climatic stability and biodiversity, but both have shown declining functionality due to cumulative anthropogenic stress. In this study, the effect of environmental stress factors like heat shock, nutrient pollution, synthetic contaminants, and habitat loss in terms of their impact on fundamental ecological processes is systematically evaluated based on scientific findings. A comparative study was carried out based on scientific review articles and data from longitudinal studies (2015-2026). It was found that the two environments showed similar tendencies in facing the problem of trophic collapse, where energy flows and functional diversity were severely affected. Nevertheless, there existed differences in resilience in the sense that the freshwater environment was more sensitive and vulnerable, while the marine ecosystem had better spatial resilience. This comparison serves as an indicator of the absolute necessity to shift towards Integrated Ecosystem-Based Management. Emphasizing ecosystem functioning rather than species protection provides the basis for the development of science-based solutions, such as Dynamic Connectivity Zoning of rivers and Climate-Adaptive Marine Protected Areas. This shift is absolutely crucial to prevent the breakdown of the system and the collapse of aquatic ecosystems globally.