Disrupted development in fathead minnow embryos exposed to wetland waters from the Athabasca Oil Sands Region, Alberta, Canada.

To assess aquatic toxicity of natural wetlands in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of northern Alberta, fifteen collected water samples were tested for their ability to affect survival and development of fathead minnow embryos. Wetland waters were also assessed for toxicants from natural oil sands bitumen deposits (Na, Cl, metals, naphthenic acids (NAs), naphthenic acid fraction compounds (NAFCs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and alkylated PAHs). Water samples from four wetlands caused toxicity to fish embryos.

Site-specific spatiotemporal occurrence and molecular congener distributions of naphthenic acids in Athabasca oil sands wetlands of Alberta, Canada.

The Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of Alberta, Canada is notable for its considerable unconventional petroleum extraction projects, where bitumen is extracted from naturally-occurring oil sands ore. The large scale of these heavy crude oil developments raises concerns because of their potential to distribute and/or otherwise influence the occurrence, behaviour, and fate of environmental contaminants. Naphthenic acids (NAs) are one such contaminant class of concern in the AOSR, so studies have examined the occurrence and molecular profiles of NAs in the region.

Diet- and salinity-induced modifications of the gut microbiota are associated with differential physiological responses to ranavirus infection in .

Greater knowledge of how host-microbiome interactions vary with anthropogenic environmental change and influence pathogenic infections is needed to better understand stress-mediated disease outcomes. We investigated how increasing salinization in freshwaters (e.g.

Ranavirus Amplification in Low-Diversity Amphibian Communities.

In an era where emerging infectious diseases are a serious threat to biodiversity, epidemiological patterns need to be identified, particularly the complex mechanisms driving the dynamics of multi-host pathogens in natural communities. Many amphibian species have faced unprecedented population declines associated with diseases. Yet, specific processes shaping host-pathogen relationships within and among communities for amphibian pathogens such as ranaviruses (RV) remain poorly understood.