Water Hyacinth was introduced as an ornamental plant, now it chokes rivers around the world The water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) was imported into several countries, including India as an ornamental aquatic species to beautify ponds and gardens. Years later, the aquatic weed grew rapidly and started invading natural water bodies, forming floating mats that are…
In April 2022, a routine field survey on a quiet Canadian lake turned into one of the most puzzling wildlife investigations in recent years.What first appeared to be the isolated death of a freshwater turtle soon escalated into a grim discovery involving nearly 150 carcasses scattered along the shoreline. The incident left scientists searching for…
Freshwater ecosystems have spent years under growing pressure from pollution, changing weather patterns and rising temperatures. Rivers and lakes in many parts of the world have been losing dissolved oxygen, placing fish, aquatic plants and countless smaller organisms under increasing strain. That broader pattern has often been presented as one of the more difficult environmental…
Zooplankton, Copepod, Leptodiaptomus minutus, male| Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons When acid rain swept across parts of Ontario in the 1960s, it had a dramatic effect on freshwater ecosystems.Populations of fish were wiped out, many microscopic aquatic species declined, and vast areas of lakes became far more acidic than they had been in centuries. Amidst the…
