Selected publications

Shoals of sulphur mollies blanket the water surface of toxic sulphur springs in Mexico. The tiny fish survive attacks of birds through creating collective waves. New research now shows that their avian predators are adapting too, changing where they attack to avoid triggering the fish’s powerful group defence. The fish, in turn, appear to fight back with a surprising form of collective “memory.” 

This study provides high-resolution, field-based evidence of the importance of accounting for short-term flow interruptions in river management strategies. It demonstrated that a one-day streamflow interruption of the side channel of the River Erpe caused a significant decrease in diel surface water oxygen amplitude and porewater oxygen concentrations, as well as a metabolic shift after rewetting.

Through competition for food or attacks, invasive species can cause severe suffering to native wild and farmed animals, but they can suffer too. The authors present a framework which can be used to identify and assess the animal welfare impacts of biological invasions. 

This study examined how bioturbation alters sediment structure and surface roughness, and how this influences hyporheic exchange and biogeochemical processes. It reveals that irregular burrow galleries promote deeper and spatially heterogeneous solute penetration by generating tortuous and highly connected flow paths within the sediment. 

The study shows: Only 25 per cent of newly-delineated priority areas identified for the protection of freshwater fishes in Colombia overlap with existing protected areas. Strikingly, the required amount of area is similar to that of the existing protected areas. However, a more efficient spatial distribution would be important.