Publications by authors named "Dean J Horton"

Microbial communities within the soil of Laurentian Great Lakes coastal wetlands drive biogeochemical cycles and provide several other ecosystem services. However, there exists a lack of understanding of how microbial communities respond to nutrient gradients and human activity in these systems. This research sought to address the lack of understanding through exploration of relationships among nutrient gradients, microbial community diversity, and microbial networks.

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Oxygen (O2) concentrations often fluctuate over diel timescales within wetlands, driven by temperature, sunlight, photosynthesis and respiration. These daily fluxes have been shown to impact biogeochemical transformations (e.g.

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Article Synopsis
  • The recreational bait trade can introduce and spread pathogens when anglers release bait shop water into natural waters, yet no comprehensive surveys have documented these pathogens in retail bait shops.
  • A study analyzing 96 environmental DNA samples from Great Lakes bait shops discovered nine pathogen groups, some harmful to humans and fish, with bait shops showing higher abundance and diversity compared to wild sources.
  • The findings indicate the bait trade is a significant pathway for pathogen spread, highlighting the need for better pathogen screening and angler education to prevent future risks.
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Lakes are dynamic and complex ecosystems that can be influenced by physical, chemical, and biological processes. Additionally, individual lakes are often chemically and physically distinct, even within the same geographic region. Here we show that differences in physicochemical conditions among freshwater lakes located on (and around) the same island, as well as within the water column of each lake, are significantly related to aquatic microbial community diversity.

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