Identifying root causes of thiamine deficiency complex in global aquatic ecosystems
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is considered one of the top threats to global wildlife, yet we have a poor understanding of the drivers or extent of TDC or the reason(s) why it appears to be increasing in frequency.
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is considered one of the top threats to global wildlife, yet we have a poor understanding of the drivers or extent of TDC or the reason(s) why it appears to be increasing in frequency. Vitamin B1 deficiency is linked to poor development of offspring in many kinds of wildlife including alligator, moose, mussels, shorebirds, and fishes. Despite substantial research efforts over the past three decades, the reasons behind the increasing occurrence of TDC in new regions and fish species remain unclear. There is also uncertainty about the degree to which TDC is caused by prey fish quality or by disrupted thiamine movement within entire aquatic food webs. To address these concerns, we are bringing together an international team of TDC specialists with experts ranging from microbiology to ocean fisheries to: (1) create a Bayesian network model to better understand the causal web leading to TDC occurrence; (2) develop this conceptual model into a prospective paper; and (3) build a publicly accessible and interactive TDC database as a ShinyApp for researchers and fisheries professionals to interpret their data. We aspire to finally identify the causes of TDC in fishes, providing direction for the next generation of TDC research.
Principal Investigators
Freya Rowland (USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center)
Chris Suffridge (Oregon State University)
Jacques Rinchard (State University of New York at Brockport)
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is considered one of the top threats to global wildlife, yet we have a poor understanding of the drivers or extent of TDC or the reason(s) why it appears to be increasing in frequency.
Thiamine deficiency complex (TDC) is considered one of the top threats to global wildlife, yet we have a poor understanding of the drivers or extent of TDC or the reason(s) why it appears to be increasing in frequency. Vitamin B1 deficiency is linked to poor development of offspring in many kinds of wildlife including alligator, moose, mussels, shorebirds, and fishes. Despite substantial research efforts over the past three decades, the reasons behind the increasing occurrence of TDC in new regions and fish species remain unclear. There is also uncertainty about the degree to which TDC is caused by prey fish quality or by disrupted thiamine movement within entire aquatic food webs. To address these concerns, we are bringing together an international team of TDC specialists with experts ranging from microbiology to ocean fisheries to: (1) create a Bayesian network model to better understand the causal web leading to TDC occurrence; (2) develop this conceptual model into a prospective paper; and (3) build a publicly accessible and interactive TDC database as a ShinyApp for researchers and fisheries professionals to interpret their data. We aspire to finally identify the causes of TDC in fishes, providing direction for the next generation of TDC research.
Principal Investigators
Freya Rowland (USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center)
Chris Suffridge (Oregon State University)
Jacques Rinchard (State University of New York at Brockport)