Variation in the extent and magnitude of genome-wide linkage disequilibrium (LD) among populations residing in different habitats has seldom been studied in wild vertebrates. We used a total of 109 microsatellite markers to quantify the level and patterns of genome-wide LD in 13 Fennoscandian nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius) populations from four (viz. marine, lake, pond, and river...

Salinity gradients are critical habitat determinants for freshwater organisms. Silverside fishes in the genus Odontesthes have recently and repeatedly transitioned from marine to freshwater habitats, overcoming a strong ecological barrier. Genomic and transcriptomic changes involved in this kind of transition are only known for a few model species. We present new data and analyses of gene expre...

Little is known about the diversity and structuring of freshwater microbial communities beyond the patterns revealed by tracing their distribution in the landscape with common taxonomic markers such as the ribosomal RNA. To address this gap in knowledge, metagenomes from temperate lakes were compared to selected marine metagenomes. Taxonomic analyses of rRNA genes in these freshwater metagenome...

Supplying freshwater is one of the important methods to help restore degraded wetlands. Changes in soil properties and plant community biomass were evaluated by comparing sites with freshwater treatment versus reference sites following freshwater addition to wetlands of the Yellow River Delta for 7 years. The results indicated that soil organic carbon (SOC) was significantly increased in all we...

Marine to freshwater colonizations constitute among the most dramatic evolutionary transitions in the history of life. This study examined evolution of ionic regulation following saline-to-freshwater transitions in an invasive species. In recent years, the copepod Eurytemora affinis has invaded freshwater habitats multiple times independently. We found parallel evolutionary shifts in ion-motive...

The main population centre of the volcanic Hawaiian-island chain in the north-central Pacific Ocean is on the island of Oahu (population about 900,000) (Figure 1). Oahu depends on ground water, which is mainly produced from coastal aquifers, for its potable-water supply. Oahu has high rainfall, highly permeable aquifers, and a coastal confining layer that results in high heads at the coast and ...

Of more than 800 species of eels of the order Anguilliformes, only freshwater eels (genus Anguilla with 16 species plus three subspecies) spend most of their lives in freshwater during their catadromous life cycle. Nevertheless, because their spawning areas are located offshore in the open ocean, they migrate back to their specific breeding places in the ocean, often located thousands of kilome...

Fisheries • vol 34 no 11 • november 2009 • www.fisheries.org ABStrACt: Anthropogenic effects including river regulation, watershed development, contamination, and fish introductions have substantially affected the majority of freshwater habitats in Europe and north America. This pattern of resource development and degradation is widespread in the tropics, and often little is known about the res...

The Nueces River is the primary source of freshwater inflow to Corpus Christi Bay and virtually the only source of freshwater inflow to the Nueces Delta. In association with reservoir development and operation within the Nueces Basin, the magnitude of freshwater inflow has been greatly reduced since 1958. Continually increasing salt concentrations in the soil and water have compromised the func...