Bioaccumulation, trophic transfer, and health risk assessment of microplastics in the food web of Wuliangsuhai Lake, China: Higher risk for children.

Rapid methylmercury demethylation in phytoplankton during algal blooms: insights from mercury isotopes and dynamic modeling.

Selenium modulates the antioxidative response in green microalga Monoraphidium cf. contortum.

Examining the ecological role of Nemopilema nomurai as an energy transfer pathway through Ecopath with Ecosim: A case study in the offshore area adjacent to the Changjiang River estuary.

Heavy metal infiltration in coastal sediments: Bioaccumulation pathways and toxicological repercussions on Perinereis aibuhitensis.

Longitudinal trends of metal(loid)s in nestling bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) from Wisconsin.

Coastal microbial communities play critical roles in marine food webs and biogeochemical cycling, yet their diversity and function remain poorly characterised in many regions. This is especially evident along the northern Gulf coast, a dynamic system with substantial freshwater influences. We used high throughput 16S rRNA sequencing to characterise bacterial communities in sand and seawater collected every 3 months (March 2024 through March 2025) from 10 beaches along a 53 km stretch of the Mississippi coast. The diversity and composition of these communities were related to environmental variation and to biogeochemical function as determined from the activity of enzymes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralisation. Our findings revealed distinct bacterial communities in sand and seawater, with the microbiome of each habitat showing greater temporal variation over the course of the study than spatial variation between beaches. Patterns in bacterial community structure and proportions of abundant taxa were strongly linked to physicochemical variables, while enzyme activities suggested how microbial communities may contribute to biogeochemical processes in these habitats. Collectively, these findings provide critical information for understanding microbial ecology in this system and highlight the central role of bacteria in mediating ecosystem function along a dynamic and understudied coastline.

Rapid evolution of marine phytoplankton under global change: mechanisms, constraints, and ecological consequences.

Unraveling mercury dynamics in shallow lakes: Evidence from a pristine oligotrophic lake in a natural mercury hotspot of the Patagonian Andes.

Pollution and health risks of antibiotics in marine food webs from the South China Sea.

Impacts of co-exposure to nanoplastics and ofloxacin on marine planktonic microbial communities and DMSP dynamics.

Carrier effects of microplastics in a hydroponic system: Amplifying diethyl phthalate toxicity and endophytic dysbiosis in Rye (Secale cereale L.) with implications for aquatic ecosystems.

Monsoon mysteries: Impact of rainfall-induced hydrographic changes on coastal zooplankton communities.

Wild fruit forests in the Tianshan Mountains are key constructive species of mountain ecosystems in Central Asia, and their degradation has seriously threatened regional ecological security. As typical indicators of soil health, the response mechanisms of nematode community structure and energy flow to wild fruit forest degradation remain unclear. This study focused on typical wild fruit forests in Xinjiang ( Malus sieversii and Armeniaca vulgaris ) and systematically analyzed changes in soil nematode community structure, diversity, and energy flow across different levels of degradation in wild fruit forests. The results showed: (1) wild fruit forest degradation significantly weakened soil nutrient status, which led to marked decreases in the abundance, diversity, ecological indices, and network robustness of the nematode community. Among them, omnivore-predators were the most sensitive to degradation. (2) Under severe degradation, the total energy flux of nematode food webs decreased by 55.2% in A. vulgaris forests and by 78.3% in M. sieversii forests. Flow uniformity declined by 22.2% and 7.35%, respectively. (3) However, in A. vulgaris forests, the abundance of Merlinius increased by 196.3% under light degradation, indicating a compensatory response. (4) The PLS-PM model indicated that soil nitrogen loss due to degradation reduced nematode community diversity, leading to decreased energy flux and distributional imbalance within the food web. Total energy flux significantly influenced soil multifunctionality in M. sieversii forests; however, this pathway failed in A. vulgaris forests, where total energy flux significantly impacted flow uniformity. This study elucidates the multi-level coupling processes among soil nutrients, nematode communities, energy flow, and soil multifunctionality. These findings provide a theoretical basis for early warning and ecological restoration of wild fruit forest ecosystem degradation. • Wild fruit forest degradation reduced soil nematode abundance, diversity, and stability. • Wild fruit forest degradation reduced energy flow and uniformity in nematode food webs. • PLS-PM model revealed the coupling among soil, nematodes, energy flow, and multifunctionality under degradation. • Decline in soil nitrogen was the key factor driving nematode simplification and weakened energy flow.

The genus Carnus (family Carnidae, Order Diptera) comprises five species of small-bodied and blood-sucking flies that parasitize nestlings of wild bird species. Almost all species in this genus are restrictely distributed across different continents in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly Carnus hemapterus, which is a widespread ectoparasite of many bird species. Here, we report C. hemapterus parasitizing wild birds in central Argentina, resulting in the first record for the species in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Individual flies of C. hemapterus were found in nestlings of two bird of prey species, the American kestrel, already recorded as a host of C. hemapterus in North America, and the Chimango caracara, a new host species for this ectoparasite. Consistent with the species' life cycle, flies were observed only in nestlings but not in adult individuals captured in the same breeding areas. Besides the plausible reasons that could explain this new report, it significantly updates the global distribution for this ectoparasite taxon. Therefore, this record should draw the attention to ornithologists and parasitologists from large regions of the global South, which include some of the most important avian biodiversity host-spots, to this new ectoparasite-host interaction, which may affect a significant number of bird species and warrants investigation of its physiological and ecological impacts. Furthermore, beyond its role as an avian ectoparasite, C. hemapterus is involved in complex interespecific interactions, serving as a host for parasitoids and participating in multitrophic food webs within bird nests, which clearly warrant further research.

Quantifying the effect of biomass magnitude on apparent methylmercury toxicity in marine phytoplankton.

Bio-invasion and decadal changes in the trophic dynamics of a temporarily closed estuary: An Ecopath model from Veli-Akkulam Estuary, Kerala, India.

Multiple stressors rewire trophic cascades and ecosystem processes in freshwater systems.

Benthic dinoflagellates are fundamental to marine ecosystems, contributing to marine food webs, species interactions, and community diversity. They are also known to produce a range of biotoxins that are harmful to humans and wildlife. This study provides one of the most comprehensive regional surveys of benthic dinoflagellates across Australia's Queensland coast, characterising their diversity, distribution, and ecological associations in three contrasting regions: Townsville, Gladstone, and Hervey Bay. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 18S rRNA gene (V8-V9 region), 44 toxic or potentially toxic taxa were detected, spanning both epiphytic and planktonic genera, including Gambierdiscus, Amphidinium, Ostreopsis, Coolia, Prorocentrum, Karenia, and Alexandrium. Benthic toxic dinoflagellate (BTD) assemblages showed strong spatial structuring driven by region, habitat type, and macroalgal host identity. Several taxa exhibited pronounced host specificity, for instance, Ostreopsis siamensis and Coolia tropicalis were associated exclusively with Sargassum, while Amphidinium klebsii occurred only on Lobophora. Riverine influence and benthic habitat type further shaped community composition, with some toxigenic taxa confined to estuarine environments. Co-occurrence analyses revealed both positive and negative associations among taxa, suggesting that interspecies interactions, alongside environmental filtering, contribute to local community dynamics. These findings underscore the ecological complexity of BTD assemblages and highlight the importance of integrating molecular tools with habitat-based monitoring to assess spatial risk and support early-warning systems for harmful algal bloom (HAB) events in tropical and subtropical marine ecosystems.

Prioritizing alkylated and oxygenated PAHs over PAHs in freshwater organisms: Evidence from a Chinese freshwater lake.