The study of the copepod Eurytemora affinis has provided unprecedented insights into mechanisms of invasive success. In this invited review, I summarize a subset of work from my laboratory to highlight key insights gained from studying E. affinis as a model system. Invasive species with brackish origins are overrepresented in freshwater habitats. The copepod E. affinis is an example of such a b...

The alien invasive Gambusia affinis is one of the most widely introduced fish species on the planet, and has established in freshwater ecosystems across South Africa. The invasion ecology and, in particular, the population dynamics of the species in this country are, however, poorly understood. In this study the relative abundance and population dynamics of G. affinis were quantified in 5 inter...

Mysoria wilsoni H.A. Freeman, 1969, is established as a new junior synonym of Mysoria affinis (HerrichSchäffer, 1869). A lectotype for Pyrrhopyga [sic] affinis Herrich-Schäffer, 1869 is designated.

We studied the growth and feeding response of the ciliate Euplotes affinis when exposed to algal cultures of Prymnesium parvum and Rhodomonas cf. baltica as monocultures or as mixtures. Cultures of P. parvum grown under nutrient-limited (N or P) or nutrient-sufficient conditions were tested for toxicity against E. affinis. Ciliates grew well when fed R. cf. baltica, but avoided grazing on monoc...

The association of Vibrio cholerae with zooplankton has been suggested as an important factor in transmission of human epidemic cholera, and the ability to colonize zooplankton surfaces may play a role in the temporal variation and predominance of the two different serogroups (V. cholerae O1 El Tor and O139) in the aquatic environment. To date, interactions between specific serogroups and speci...

We experimentally investigated the effects of different pre-treatments of the sediment, and the effect of daily addition of fresh phytoplankton, on the growth and survival of 1-year-old (1+) individuals of the deposit feeder Monoporeia affinis (Amphipoda). We used three different types of sieved sediment: pre-frozen muddy clay, non-pre-frozen muddy clay, and fine sand. The muddy clay contained ...

Feeding ecology of white perch Morone americana larvae, a major component of the ichthyoplankton community in the estuarine turbidity maximum (ETM) region of upper Chesapeake Bay, was evaluated in years of contrasting physical conditions. In 1998, high river flow led to an ETM with high turbidity and pronounced salinity stratification. In 1999, under low river flow conditions, turbidities in th...

Estuarine Batagur are among the most critically endangered chelonian species. We assess the taxonomic status of the recently discovered Cambodian relic population of Batagur by phylogenetic analyses of three mitochondrial (2096 bp) and three nuclear DNA fragments (1909 bp) using sequences from all other Batagur species and selected allied geoemydids. Furthermore, we calculated haplotype network...