Hypoxia is a pervasive problem in coastal environments and is predicted to have enduring impacts on aquatic ecosystems. Intraspecific variation in hypoxia tolerance is well documented in fish; however, the factors underlying this variation remain unknown. Here, we investigate the role of the heart in individual hypoxia tolerance of the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). We found individu...

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium ulcerans (MU) is the agent responsible for Buruli Ulcer (BU), an emerging skin disease with dramatic socioeconomic and health outcomes, especially in rural settings. BU emergence and distribution is linked to aquatic ecosystems in tropical and subtropical countries, especially to swampy and flooded areas. Aquatic animal organisms are likely to play a role either as host...

An estimated 60– 75% of the world’s infectious diseases of humans are zoonotic, infecting both humans and other animals. Many are vectorborne, relying on transmission by mosquitoes and biting flies that are aquatic for much of their lifespan. Others rely on aquatic molluscs, fishes, or other aquatic animals for completion of their transmission cycles, and others develop and thrive in diverse fr...

Large quantities of food processing, crop, forestry, and animal solid wastes are generated in the United States each year. The major components of these wastes are biodegradable. However, they also contain components such as nitrogen, human and animal pathogens, medicinals, feed additives, salts, and certain metals, that under uncontrolled conditions can be detrimental to aquatic, plant, animal...

Recent studies have implied the importance of incorporating configuration metrics into landscape-aquatic ecological integrity research; however few have addressed the needs of spatial data while exploring nonlinear relationships. This study investigates spatial dependence of a measure of aquatic ecological condition at two basin scales, and the spatial and non-linear role of landscape in explai...

Inadequate supply of one or more mineral elements can slow the growth of animal consumers and alter their physiology, life history and behaviour. A key concept for understanding nutrient deficiency in animals is the threshold elemental ratio (TER), at which growth limitation switches from one element to another. We used a stoichiometric model that coupled animal bioenergetics and body elemental...

Surface water and groundwater sources for human supply require treatment to remove substances that can cause human diseases and rejection. Aquatic humic substances, such as iron and manganese, interfere with the aesthetic and sanitary quality of the water because they cause color, odor and taste unpleasant. In addition, humic substances can form trihalomethanes which are serious harmful substan...