Objective This study aimed to determine the minimum toenail mass needed for reliable fluoride analysis, and to compare fluoride extraction efficiency (%FE) using two protocols. Methods Toenail samples (n = 98 from 11 participants) were grouped into masses ranging from 1.0 to 5.0 mg (± 0.5 mg). Fluoride content was analyzed using a hexamethyldisiloxane(HMDS)-facilitated diffusion method and a fluoride-ion selective electrode. P...

To assess the strength of the relationships between fluoride concentrations in tap water, toenails, and urine in a U.S. cohort of pregnant participants using private, unregulated water systems. We analyzed fluoride concentrations in residential tap water directly with a fluoride-specific electrode, and in toenail and spot urine samples using a micro-diffusion technique. We collected samples from 436 pregnant women in the New H...

Small waterbodies have potentially high greenhouse gas emissions relative to their small footprint on the landscape, although there is high uncertainty in model estimates. Scaling their carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) exchange with the atmosphere remains challenging due to an incomplete understanding and characterization of spatial and temporal variability in CO 2 and CH 4 . Here, we measured partial pressures of CO...

Aim Water availability is the major driver of tropical forest structure and dynamics. Most research has focused on the impacts of climatic water availability, whereas remarkably little is known about the influence of water table depth and excess soil water on forest processes. Nevertheless, given that plants take up water from the soil, the impacts of climatic water supply on plants are likely to be modulated by soil water con...

Since its introduction to control overabundant invasive European rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ), the highly virulent rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) has caused regular annual disease outbreaks in Australian rabbit populations. Although initially reducing rabbit abundance by 60%, continent‐wide, experimental evidence has since indicated increased genetic resistance in wild rabbits that have experienced RHDV‐driven s...

Streams and river networks are increasingly recognized as significant sources for the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N 2 O). N 2 O is a transformation product of nitrogenous compounds in soil, sediment and water. Agricultural areas are considered a particular hotspot for emissions because of the large input of nitrogen (N) fertilizers applied on arable land. However, there is little information on N 2 O emissions from forest st...

With ongoing introductions into Australia since the 1700s, the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) has become one of the most widely distributed and abundant vertebrate pests, adversely impacting Australia's biodiversity and agroeconomy. To understand the population and range dynamics of the species and its impacts better, occurrence and abundance data have been collected by researchers and citizens from sites covering a...

Most of the planet's diversity is concentrated in the tropics, which includes many regions undergoing rapid climate change. Yet, while climate‐induced biodiversity changes are widely documented elsewhere, few studies have addressed this issue for lowland tropical ecosystems. Here we investigate whether the floristic and functional composition of intact lowland Amazonian forests have been changing by evaluating records from 106...

Deciphering the genes involved in disease resistance is essential if we are to understand host–pathogen coevolutionary processes. The rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus ( RHDV ) was imported into Australia in 1995 as a biocontrol agent to manage one of the most successful and devastating invasive species, the European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ). During the first outbreaks of the disease, RHDV caused mortality rates of up...

Significant information gaps exist regarding the status of polar bears, especially with respect to the impacts of climate change, across large portions of the Arctic. To obtain an updated abundance estimate for the Foxe Basin population, we conducted comprehensive aerial surveys during the 2009 and 2010 ice‐free seasons, when bears are confined to land. We sampled with mark‐recapture distance sampling protocols on inland and c...

R abbit H aemorrhagic D isease V irus ( RHDV ) was introduced into A ustralia in 1995 as a biological control agent against the wild E uropean rabbit ( O ryctolagus cuniculus ). We evaluated its evolution over a 16‐year period (1995–2011) by examining 50 isolates collected throughout A ustralia, as well as the original inoculum strains. Phylogenetic analysis of capsid protein VP 60 sequences of the A ustralian isolates, compar...

Dissolved organic carbon ( DOC ) concentrations in surface waters have increased across much of E urope and N orth A merica, with implications for the terrestrial carbon balance, aquatic ecosystem functioning, water treatment costs and human health. Over the past decade, many hypotheses have been put forward to explain this phenomenon, from changing climate and land management to eutrophication and acid deposition. Resolution...