Matthew Schuler’s lab at Montclair State is interested in the importance of freshwater ecosystems and the threats they face from human activities like pollution. They specifically studied the threat of freshwater salinization from sources like road salts, which can disrupt ecosystem functions and services:
- Salt pollution negatively affected the abundance and richness of emerging zooplankton communities, even at low concentrations.
- Surprisingly, calcium chloride and magnesium chloride were more toxic to zooplankton than sodium chloride.
- Salt pollution reduced the concentrations of dissolved organic matter and turbidity, which may have negative impacts on cyanobacteria.
Vigil JP, Schuler MS. Salt pollution reduces turbidity, dissolved organic matter, and cyanobacteria in experimental vernal pool communities. Sci Total Environ. 2024 Jun 25;931:172948. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172948. Epub 2024 May 3. PMID: 38703853. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004896972403095X
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