Article
Limnology
Alexandra McClymont, Shelley E. Arnott, James A. Rusak
Summary: Chloride concentrations in lakes across the Northern hemisphere are increasing due to road salt use, posing a threat to aquatic ecosystems. This study found that in addition to chloride concentration, factors such as soft water or increasing lake temperatures also negatively affect freshwater zooplankton and phytoplankton communities. The results suggest that regulations on road salt application should be reevaluated to better protect aquatic ecosystems.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Martyn G. Kelly, Gary Free, Agnieszka Kolada, Geoff Phillips, Stuart Warner, Georg Wolfram, Sandra Poikane
Summary: Salinization is a global threat to freshwater habitats that is exacerbated by climate change. Many countries have yet to establish stringent criteria for protecting ecosystem health, resulting in differences between criteria. Monitoring, assessment, and management of salinity are crucial for addressing this problem.
WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS-WATER
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Carlinda Railly Medeiros, Luiz Ricardo L. Simone, Dalescka Barbosa de Melo, Marina Dolbeth, Joseline Molozzi, Raphael Ligeiro
Summary: The study found that biotic interactions and environmental filtering have different effects on the functional and taxonomic diversity of molluscs and polychaetes communities at different spatial scales.
ESTUARINE COASTAL AND SHELF SCIENCE
(2022)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Mauricio Hoffmann Moreira, Ng Haig They, Lucia Ribeiro Rodrigues, Luna Alvarenga-Lucius, Alice Pita-Barbosa
Summary: Salinization is a global threat to aquatic ecosystems, and the impact of increased salinity on freshwater macrophytes is not well understood. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the tolerance of widespread non-halophyte macrophytes to salinity increase in freshwater. It reveals that these macrophytes display efficient tolerance to salinity levels between 5 and 10 g L-1, with only a few species tolerating higher salinities. Salinity stress can negatively affect the physiology and diversity of freshwater macrophytes, leading to long-term changes in ecosystems.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fan Li, Christine Angelini, James E. Byers, Christopher Craft, Steven C. Pennings
Summary: This study shows that tidal freshwater marsh plant and animal communities are vulnerable to long-term salinity changes but resilient to short saline pulses. While saline pulses did not impair most ecosystem functions, the decline of a single species in the pulse treatment was associated with reduced marsh accretion and no elevation gain, which are crucial for wetland survival in an era of rising seas.
JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zeynep Ersoy, Meritxell Abril, Miguel Canedo-Arguelles, Carmen Espinosa, Lidia Vendrell-Puigmitja, Lorenzo Proia
Summary: Freshwater ecosystems are becoming saltier due to human activities. Increased salinity can affect ecosystem functioning and energy transfer by changing community and size structure, and this effect can be regulated by other environmental factors. Through a mesocosm approach, this study assessed the impact of salinization on zooplankton composition and size structure under eutrophic conditions, as well as the cascading effects on algal communities.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2022)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Henrique D. S. Borburema, Angelika Graiff, Ulf Karsten, Eliane Marinho-Soriano
Summary: Increased salinity due to climate change will negatively affect photosynthesis of macroalgae in tropical estuarine environments, with B. calliptera being more affected than B. montagnei. B. montagnei is more tolerant to salinity stress and can synthesize both dulcitol and sorbitol as organic osmolytes.
Review
Ecology
David Cunillera-Montcusi, Meryem Beklioglu, Miguel Canedo-Arguelles, Erik Jeppesen, Robert Ptacnik, Cihelio A. Amorim, Shelley E. Arnott, Stella A. Berger, Sandra Brucet, Hilary A. Dugan, Miriam Gerhard, Zsofia Horvath, Silke Langenheder, Jens C. Nejstgaard, Marko Reinikainen, Maren Striebel, Pablo Urrutia-Cordero, Csaba F. Vad, Egor Zadereev, Miguel Matias
Summary: The salinisation of freshwater ecosystems is a significant threat, affecting biodiversity and human societies. Understanding its ecological and evolutionary consequences is still a challenge, with various research gaps identified. Focusing on global- and landscape-scale processes, functional approaches, genetic and molecular levels, and ecoevolutionary dynamics can help predict the impacts of freshwater salinisation.
TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Shelley E. Arnott, Vincent Fugere, Celia C. Symons, Stephanie J. Melles, Beatrix E. Beisner, Miguel Canedo-Arguelles, Marie-Pier Hebert, Jennifer A. Brentrup, Amy L. Downing, Derek K. Gray, Danielle Greco, William D. Hintz, Alexandra McClymont, Rick A. Relyea, James A. Rusak, Catherine L. Searle, Louis Astorg, Henry K. Baker, Zeynep Ersoy, Carmen Espinosa, Jaclyn M. Franceschini, Angelina T. Giorgio, Norman Gobeler, Emily Hassal, Mercedes Huynh, Samuel Hylander, Kacie L. Jonasen, Andrea Kirkwood, Silke Langenheder, Ola Langvall, Hjalmar Laudon, Lovisa Lind, Maria Lundgren, Emma R. Moffett, Lorenzo Proia, Matthew S. Schuler, Jonathan B. Shurin, Christopher F. Steiner, Maren Striebel, Simon Thibodeau, Pablo Urrutia Cordero, Lidia Vendrell-Puigmitja, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer, Alison M. Derry
Summary: The salinization of freshwaters poses a global threat to aquatic biodiversity. The study quantified the variation in chloride (Cl-) tolerance among 19 freshwater zooplankton species in four countries. The results showed high variation in Cl- tolerance among populations, with zooplankton community composition being the only factor that explained this variation. The large intraspecific variation in Cl- tolerance suggests that water quality guidelines should consider multiple populations and communities.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tamara Leite, Paulo Branco, Maria Teresa Ferreira, Jose Maria Santos
Summary: The study found that increasing salinity has sub-lethal effects on freshwater fish behavior, including reduced swimming activity and shoal cohesion, as well as an increase in bolder individuals. Changes in fish behavior can reflect shifts in ecological condition.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2022)
Article
Limnology
Danielle A. Greco, Shelley E. Arnott, Isabelle B. Fournier, Brandon S. Schamp
Summary: Increasing chloride concentrations pose a threat to freshwater zooplankton, and current water quality guidelines do not adequately protect these organisms. Nutrient context may influence the response of phytoplankton and protists.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Joseph G. Galella, Sujay S. Kaushal, Paul M. Mayer, Carly M. Maas, Ruth R. Shatkay, Shreeram Inamdar, Kenneth T. Belt
Summary: The impacts of freshwater salinization on total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and NO3-/NO2- concentrations and fluxes in urban watersheds were investigated. The study found that TDN and NO3-/NO2- concentrations and fluxes in urban streams rapidly increased and then declined following winter road salt events. The relationship between Cl- loads and NO3-/NO2- loads was positive across all sites regardless of land use.
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Kiara C. Cushway, Nathan S. Ring, David K. Patton, Daelyn A. Woolnough
Summary: This study investigated the impacts of landscape variables on the distribution and density of native freshwater mussels and invasive Corbicula spp. The results showed that land use, geology, and longitudinal position in the watershed influence the densities of both unionids and corbiculids. Furthermore, the density of corbiculids was found to be important in determining the density and distribution of unionids. The study highlights the importance of considering landscape variables in understanding the relationships between organisms and their environments.
Article
Ecology
Shokoofeh Shamsi, Alara Nuhoglu, Xiaocheng Zhu, Diane P. Barton
Summary: This study reports the first natural infection of Isidorella hainesii freshwater snails with Choanocotyle hobbsi parasite in inland Australia, characterized using morphological and molecular methods. The parasite's distribution has been extended from Western Australia to the Murray Darling Basin in New South Wales.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR PARASITOLOGY-PARASITES AND WILDLIFE
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Christopher T. Solomon, Hilary A. Dugan, William D. Hintz, Stuart E. Jones
Summary: The widespread and increasing use of road deicing salt is causing an increase in lake chloride concentrations, which has negative impacts on aquatic organisms and ecosystems. A simple model was used to study the factors affecting road salt concentrations and predict equilibrium concentrations in lakes across the contiguous United States. The model shows that equilibrium salt concentration depends on salt application rate, road density, and runoff. By controlling or reducing salt application rates, it is possible to achieve equilibrium concentrations below recommended thresholds in many lakes. The analysis provides insights into the current trends of road salt pollution in lakes and suggests achievable goals for protecting aquatic organisms.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY LETTERS
(2023)