This review of the status of the little curlew draws attention to the challenges faced by migratory shorebirds using grasslands and inland freshwater wetlands along the East Asian–Australasian Flyway (EAAF). Knowledge gaps about the physiology and functional ecology of different species and a lack of survey data from inland wetlands along the EAAF limit our ability to assess the status and population trends of most species.

Freshwater prawns and fishes coexist in environments of Paraná. The interaction between species of prawns and fishes during ‘La Niña’ phenomenon was studied. Population densities varied in both prawns and fishes. These changes have not been simultaneous. These variations might be associated with predation, aggressive behaviour and micro-migrations. La Niña effect creates additional stress when water inflow is delayed.

Floodgates that restrict tidal flow can reduce the diversity and abundance of fish and crustaceans (e.g. prawns) in coastal wetlands. This study illustrates that these impacts can be overcome by opening floodgates to restore tidal flushing and reinstating biotic passage and the habitat conditions (e.g. pH, salinity) most suitable for the juveniles of estuarine and marine dwelling species. This has implications for improving the nursery value of estuaries to support fisheries productivity.

Trophic interactions between two different filter-feeding communities in subtropical shallow lakes were investigated experimentally. Bivalves consumed small-sized zooplankton, but no consumption of medium-sized individuals was registered, favouring an average larger-sized community. Bivalves consumption of phytoplankton was higher than that of zooplankton and bivalves were also able to reduce cyanobacteria. Together, the results suggest that the introduction of bivalves can have positive effects in eutrophic systems mitigating the excessive growth of phytoplankton.

The temporal patterns of six biotic groups (from phytoplankton to amphibians) and their responses to environmental variation were studied in a set of Mediterranean temporary ponds. Different temporal patterns were observed among the biotic groups studied, and in some (but not all) cases these differences were explained by their dispersal ability. Similarly, we observed that environmental control was group specific.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of the N : P ratio, as well as the effects of the interaction between the N : P ratio and zooplankton, on phytoplankton. We found that the typical zooplankton of tropical reservoirs may interfere with phytoplankton responses to the effects of nutrients. The zooplankton can also stimulate the growth of ‘less palatable’ algae.

An understanding of processes such as diel vertical migration of fish at reservoirs, and the major factors driving it, is needed to provide information for the implementation of management and mitigation measures for the effects of hydroelectric plants. Using hydroacoustics, this study evaluated the occurrence and some characteristics of this process in a Neotropical reservoir.

The Indonesian archipelago hosts a significant proportion of the biodiversity on Earth, but several species groups, such as freshwater fish, remain poorly described. In this study we characterised larval and juvenile fish biodiversity, as well as spatial and temporal variability, in a pristine peat swamp environment of the River Kumbe in West New Guinea, Indonesia, based on mitochondrial DNA sequence analysis.

Rabbitfish are an esteemed food resource in the Mariana Islands and their seasonal recruitment events represent culturally important harvest periods. In the present study we used a 2-year market sampling strategy to determine life-history traits of the forktail rabbitfish in Saipan, including lifespan, growth and reproduction. Results suggest the species has a rapid life history and considerable variability in reproductive output from year to year, which may help explain yearly variability in recruitment.

In tropical and subtropical ecosystems with high diversity and low amounts of nutrients, benthic-feeding stingrays and eagle rays partition their trophic resources, resulting in high ecological singularity. However, it is unknown whether this is true for temperate low-diversity nutrient-rich ecosystems. In the present study we compared the diet of three temperate co-occurring species. The three species had a markedly different diet composition, indicative of high ecological singularity.

Monitoring size can provide an alternative to monitoring population abundance when assessing fishing impacts. In the present study, temporal patterns in the mean size of the four main commercial shark species of Western Australia were evaluated. Unlike commonly reported for other shark populations, the mean size of these species showed fairly stable patterns or slight increases.

The purpose of the present study was to validate vertebral band-deposition rates of blue sharks tagged and recaptured in the eastern Pacific Ocean by using oxytetracycline (OTC). Results from band counts distal to the OTC mark on each vertebra indicated that a single band pair (one translucent and one opaque) is formed per year for blue sharks ranging from 1 to 8 years of age.

This research covers aspects of rockpool fish in the Amazonian estuary, assessing how the distribution and occupation patterns are affected by abiotic characteristics. The results show that species occurrence and abundance respond to local environmental and spatial variations, highlighting the role of extreme dynamics conditions in governing this ecosystem.

This study revealed that deadly ‘stinger’ jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) have localised populations separated by tens to hundreds of kilometres. This was demonstrated by examining the chemistry of their tiny bony structures, called statoliths. Unique location-dependent chemical ‘fingerprints’ represent the whole life of the jellyfish from the time they metamorphose from benthic polyps.

In the Australian subtropics, seasonal changes to flow regimens can affect the conditions of freshwaters and their biological communities. In the ephemeral streams of central Queensland, the macroinvertebrate communities did not change in response to changing flow. Mostly tolerant taxa were found, with sensitive taxa most abundant during high-flow periods. This study provides novel information on the flow-linked succession of macroinvertebrate communities and is important for developing environmental management tools.

Coconut crabs Birgus latro on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean may be the only population of this declining species not threatened by overharvesting. To assess the population’s diversity and identify the number of conservation units, we conducted a combined morphometric and population genetic analysis. The findings suggest that the population is genetically diverse and panmictic, and may therefore be considered as a single conservation management unit.

This laboratory study identified body size at sexual maturity, across the Hawaiian Archipelago, for two species of deep-reef snappers, fish of great economic importance across the Indo-Pacific region. Females of both species matured at similar body length, but were ~5 cm smaller in the waters of the fished main v. unfished north-western Hawaiian Islands. Such information helps fisheries managers better specify minimum size regulations.

A research study by Sunfish Queensland, a peak body for recreational fishing in Queensland, shows a major decline in the population and fishery for luderick (blackfish), an important species in coastal fisheries in eastern Australia. Southern Queensland is the northern range limit of this species, and the population decline in this region is significantly correlated with increasing coastal water temperature over the period 1976–2015. The increasing water temperature over the past two decades has caused a southward shift in the luderick population.

The coffin ray is an electric ray endemic to Australia. The combination of the species’ teleost fish diet coupled with its poor swimming ability, very small teeth supported on slender jaws and its large electric organs strongly suggests that this ray uses powerful electric discharges to stun or kill prey before engulfing them whole.