Anostomidae is one of the most diverse families within the order Characiformes and is widely distributed across the river basins of the Neotropical region. Anostomids are known to host a rich diversity of metazoan parasites, including ectoparasites, such as monopisthocotylans, and endoparasites, such as nematodes, cestodes, and digeneans. The present study aims to develop an inventory of metazoan parasites recorded in fish of the Anostomidae family. A bibliographic review of metazoan parasite species in anostomids was conducted, using searches in different databases. This bibliographic review was complemented with information from books and book chapters on ictioparasitology. The data were compiled until January 2025. Based on the review, 191 taxa (126 are described at the species level and 65 were identified only to the genus level or higher taxonomic categories) of metazoan parasites associated with anostomid fishes were found. Monopisthocotyla and Nematoda were the taxonomic groups with the most parasitic associations at the species level, with 31 and 30 species, respectively. This study presents a comprehensive and updated inventory of metazoan parasites associated with fish from the family Anostomidae, covering over 170 years of research (1850–2025). This survey highlights the importance of anostomids as hosts for a rich parasitic fauna.

Urban river degradation demands remediation strategies that are both environmentally sustainable and technically feasible. This study evaluated the performance of Floating Treatment Wetlands (FTWs) vegetated with Chrysopogon zizanioides (vetiver) and incorporating four substrate configurations: leaf litter (LL), red volcanic rock (RVR), corn cobs (CC), and a composite mixture of all three, for the rehabilitation of the “Paseo de Los Ahuehuetes” River in Veracruz, Mexico. Over a 182-day monitoring period, in situ water quality parameters and plant growth responses were systematically assessed. The results indicate that substrate selection is a decisive design factor governing the establishment and development of C. zizanioides in FTWs. Among the substrates tested, LL exhibited the most favorable performance, achieving the highest plant survival (82%), enhanced shoot elongation (71.5 ± 12.1 cm), greater root development (49.7 ± 10.0 cm), and the highest relative growth rate (0.028 g g−1 d−1), with statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) compared to CC. Additionally, localized improvements in water quality within the FTW zone were observed, including an increase in dissolved oxygen (2.07%) and a reduction in total dissolved solids (5.65%), likely associated with intensified rhizospheric processes. Overall, these findings identify leaf litter as a low-cost, locally available, and environmentally sustainable substrate that enhances vetiver establishment in FTWs. The study provides practical, evidence-based criteria for the design of nature-based phytoremediation systems aimed at the restoration of urban river ecosystems.

Melanoides tuberculata is one of the world’s main invasive snail species; therefore, mapping its occurrence is essential for predicting its dispersion patterns and proposing control measures. This study aimed to map the occurrence of M. tuberculata and its associated parasites in a tourist waterfall complex located in Fortaleza dos Nogueiras, Southern Maranhão, Brazil. We collected snails over three months (July, August, and September 2025) in the Castanhão, Esmeralda, and Recanto das Águias waterfalls, and in the Panela stream, to estimate their reproductive stage and to assess the presence of parasites. We demonstrated for the first time the occurrence of M. tuberculata at all evaluated collection points. Morphological data of the shells suggested that the M. tuberculata populations were in the initial phase of their reproductive cycle; however, some specimens showed a complete reproductive stage. Additionally, we found M. tuberculata infected with trematode larvae that resembled the Gymnocephalus-type cercariae in the Castanhão waterfall and Panela stream. Therefore, we updated the distribution of M. tuberculata in Brazil and discussed the possible environmental and public health impacts of this species in the study area.

Access to clean drinking water is crucial for any region’s social and economic growth. However, rapid urbanization and industrialization have significantly deteriorated water quality, posing severe pollution threats from domestic, agricultural, and industrial sources. This study presents an innovative framework for assessing water quality in North Bhubaneswar, integrating the Water Quality Index (WQI) with statistical analysis, geospatial technologies, and machine learning models. The WQI, calculated using the Weighted Arithmetic Index method, provides a single composite value representing overall water quality based on several key physicochemical parameters. To evaluate potable water quality across 21 wards in the northern zone, several key parameters were monitored, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), hardness, chloride, total dissolved solids (TDSs), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD). The Weighted Arithmetic WQI method was employed to determine overall water quality, which ranged from excellent to good. Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed a strong positive correlation (r > 0.6) between pH, conductivity, hardness, and alkalinity. To enhance the accuracy and reliability of water quality assessment, multiple machine learning models Logistic Regression (LR), Decision Tree (DT), Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Naïve Bayes (NB) were applied to classify water quality based on these parameters. Among them, the Decision Tree (DT) and Random Forest (RF) models demonstrated the highest precision (91.8% and 92.7%, respectively) and overall accuracy (91.7%), making them the most effective in predicting water quality and integrating WQI, machine learning, and statistics to analyze water quality. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous water quality monitoring and offers data-driven recommendations to ensure sustainable access to clean drinking water in North Bhubaneswar.

The present study investigated the gut contents of oysters cultivated in the Emboraí Velho Estuary (Amazonian littoral), focusing on the analysis of diatoms. Analyses of the stomach contents from 60 adult individuals of the species Crassostrea gasar (Adanson, 1757) collected in the study environment were performed. Additional water samples were collected for the analysis of diatoms present in the estuary. The total number of diatom taxa identified in the estuary was 123, with 35.8% centric diatoms and 64.2% pennate diatoms. Organisms recorded in the analyzed oyster stomachs comprised 61 taxa, of which 37.7% were centric and 62.3% pennate diatoms. The relative abundance of Cymatosira belgica Grunow was 78.2% in April, 72.1% in June, 51.9% in September, and 91.8% in December in the estuary. However, in the gut content, it was 9.9% in April, 4.3% in June, 13.9% in September, and 45.1% in December. The relative abundance of C. belgica, as well as of other less abundant species, was not similar between the gut contents and the diatom species identified in the estuary. Our results indicate that cultivated oysters selectively feed on certain diatom species identified in the estuary, as the main species recorded in the gut contents were not similar to the most abundant and frequent species found in the estuary during the same months of the present study.

In the absence of long-term hydrologic records, field-measured hydrologic indicators are useful for inferring past wetland hydrologic conditions, which can support research, regulation, and restoration. Inflection points on the buttresses of pondcypress trees (Taxodium ascendens) are frequently used in west-central Florida to estimate cypress wetland high water levels, known as normal pool. However, little is known about how this indicator develops. A method to estimate tree age using diameter at breast height was developed for Florida pondcypress, which can be used by forested wetland managers to constrain the maximum potential age of hydrologic indicators in groups of cypress trees. This model was applied to a waterbody with a complex history of hydrologic alterations. The waterbody had two distinct populations of buttress inflection elevations, corresponding to historic versus current water level regimes. This represents one of the first documented instances in the literature where a waterbody showed multiple buttress inflection populations in the absence of soil subsidence. This work underscores the need to consider the development timelines when interpreting the hydrologic meaning of indicator elevations.

Historical plankton samples from the St. Lawrence Great Lakes were subjected to taxon-specific 15N analysis to test the hypothesis that the changes recorded in zooplankton communities during the 21st Century are related to changes in the trophic positions of large-bodied carnivorous copepods. Daphnia mendotae was used as the reference herbivore for trophic-level comparisons. The results were that Limnocalanus macrurus, Diaptomus (Leptodiaptomus) sicilis as well as the cladoceran Bythotrephes cederstroemi show evidence of elevated carnivory compared to data from the 20th Century. The large diaptomid Diaptomus (Leptodiaptomus) sicilis has a stable isotope signature that is significantly more carnivorous in Lake Superior than in Lakes Michigan and Huron by approximately one-half trophic level. Differences were found in 10 cases out of 15 for Limnocalanus (Huron, Michigan Superior), 6 cases out of 15 for Diaptomus (Huron, Michigan) and in 1 out of 1 for Senecella (Superior). We did not find evidence to support the theory that large-bodied calanoid copepods may have improved their representation in the food webs of the upper Great Lakes by shifting their trophic position downward. Instead, large-bodied Calanoida have increased their trophic positions in parallel with their increased relative abundance. More research is thus needed to explain the driving forces for changing food web dynamics in the Great Lakes.

The cartographic landscape analysis of Lake Doshne employs geographic landscape methods, GIS cartographic modeling, and geo-ecological analysis. This study includes hydrochemical analysis of the lake’s water mass, focusing on saline blocks, tropho-saprobiological indicators, and specific toxic action indicators. Three geological sections of anthropogenic and pre-Quaternary complexes, along with a geological–lithological transverse profile of the lake basin, were developed. Additionally, a geographical landscape model of the lake’s natural aquatic complex was presented, distinguishing littoral–sublittoral and profundal aquatic sub-tracts and five types of aquafacies with landscape metric assessments. This approach enables a comprehensive analysis and the creation of cartographic models that can serve as a basis for lake cadastre and optimization of the ecological and landscape conditions in local territories.

In this paper, attention is drawn to the deterioration of Romanian surface water ecosystems due to eutrophication, an important environmental issue both at national and international levels. An inventory of existing studies dealing with the issue of the eutrophication of lakes and reservoirs in Romania is made, aiming to identify the main problems Romania is facing in monitoring, classifying, and managing eutrophic ecosystems. On Web of Science, the keyword “Eutrophication”, with “Romania” as country/region, leads to 50 publications, which are analyzed in this review. The number of articles found does not reflect the real environmental issue represented by eutrophic lakes and reservoirs in Romania. At a national level, only 126 lakes and reservoirs have been monitored and assessed between 2018 and 2020, in terms of ecological status/ecological potential. Thus, at a global evaluation, 77% of natural lakes and 33% of artificial ones do not reach the quality objectives. The results of this study showed that the frequency of measurements taken by water quality indicators is not the strongest point of measurement campaigns, as it is not sufficient for the diagnosis of eutrophic lakes, and supplementary measures must be undertaken to better understand and mitigate this phenomenon.

Many macrophyte species exhibit a high degree of plasticity, enabling them to thrive in various aquatic ecosystems. Identifying the growth conditions of individual aquatic plant species during research or specimen collection is not always possible. In many cases, the nature of the planned research does not necessitate recognizing environmental conditions. However, the scope of identifying the habitat parameters of the collections of submerged aquatic plant herbariums provides an opportunity for further research. This paper explores the possibilities of using isotopic signals of plants, supported by spectral analyses of powdered plant materials, to ascertain the environmental conditions from which the samples were collected. The results obtained from the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions (δ13CORG and δ15NORG) and the analysis of spectral spectra via FTIR-ART (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy with Attenuated Total Reflectance) of plant material (Elodea canadensis Michx. species) collected from various habitat ecosystems, including rivers and both hard- and softwater lakes, exhibited significant distinctions between these habitats. Particularly high values of δ15NORG were recorded in the material from rivers. The stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions did not differentiate between the material collected from softwater and hardwater lakes. Nevertheless, when comparing the isotopic findings with the FTIR-ATR spectral analysis focused on identifying characteristic peaks associated with the presence of calcium carbonate, noticeable differences were observed in the presence and intensity of calcium carbonate peaks in the material. These differences were only evident when nondecarbonated plant material from hardwater lakes was used for the FTIR-ATR analysis. To the best of the author’s knowledge, the combination of methods applied in this study to identify the origin of E. canadensis from various freshwater environments is the first application of its kind that could enable the rapid identification of plant material origin. Such identification could prove useful in environmental, ecological, and paleoenvironmental research. The increased knowledge of macrophytes’ δ13CORG and δ15NORG values might also be essential in further tracking accelerated eutrophication based on aquatic vegetation’s isotopic signals. This might be important due to the assumption that the increased rate of eutrophication influences organic matter sedimentation in aquatic ecosystems, especially lakes.