Publications
The studies behind the questions.
Experimental work in freshwater ecology, followed by ongoing conceptual and theoretical projects.
My Google Scholar profile ↗Published articles
Newest online publication first
2026Research article
Akshay Mohan, Blake Matthews, Katja Räsänen
Freshwater Biology · 71(6) · e70248
We followed juvenile Asellus aquaticus through initial fungicide exposure, a later fungicide–heatwave treatment, and recovery in clean water. Individuals with fungicide histories remained smaller, and those exposed to fungicide and heat together showed lower feeding during recovery than those exposed to either stressor alone. Responses differed among traits, showing why recovery needs to be measured after conditions improve.
2026Research article
Akshay Mohan, Blake Matthews, Katja Räsänen
Environmental Pollution · 390 · 127490
2026 issue · First published online 3 December 2025
We tested how fungicide exposure and experience of dragonfly predators affected feeding, behaviour and later survival in Asellus aquaticus. Fungicide exposure sharply reduced feeding and altered the movement response to predator cues, with feeding effects varying across safer and riskier parts of the arena. Prior predator experience improved subsequent survival, although evidence that fungicide changed that benefit was uncertain.
2024Research article
Akshay Mohan, Blake Matthews, Katja Räsänen
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · 285 · 117017
We separated exposure through the water from exposure through treated food in Asellus aquaticus, a freshwater detritivore. Both pathways reduced feeding, while effects on growth and pigmentation depended on body size and the route of exposure. The study shows why testing waterborne exposure alone can miss part of a chemical’s effect.
Work in progress
Conceptual · Experimental · Theoretical
These projects are being developed. They are separate from the published articles above.
Work in progress
Nested feedbacks in multiple-stressor ecology: Linking phenotypic responses, demography and evolution
This conceptual work asks when changes in individual condition and population density feed back to alter later responses to multiple stressors. It develops ways to distinguish a lasting effect of exposure from a return pathway that changes how stressors act together.
Work in progress
A Standardised Multi-Stressor Evaluation Framework (SMSEF) for Ecological Prediction and Policy
A proposed workflow for making multiple-stressor studies easier to compare and interpret. It brings together explicit hypotheses, exposure and recovery schedules, response measures, comparison models and transparent reporting.
Work in progress
Assessing protection from predators and parasites: a checklist for matching claims to evidence
This conceptual project asks whether evidence for protection covers the organisms, outcomes, places and periods included in a claim. It uses biological questions about changing attacks or transmission to identify relevant gaps, while recognising when an appropriate outcome estimate already answers the question.
Work in progress
Using exposure experiments to test forecasts based on current measurements
This work examines how forecasts based on current measurements perform for organisms with different exposure histories. Retrospective reanalyses illustrate why treatment effects, improved prediction, accuracy for an intended use and transfer to new settings need separate tests.
Work in progress
Hide or climb out? Refuge design and responses to predator cues in a freshwater snail
An ongoing study asks how refuge structure shapes responses of the great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, to tench-conditioned water. The focus is on distinguishing underwater refuge use, surface occupancy and crawling above the waterline.
Work in progress
Food timing can reverse opportunities for physiological diversification
This theoretical project asks how the timing of food supply and the organisation of resource use alter opportunities for physiological diversification. It compares fixed feeding arrangements under explicit growth trade-offs, linking population responses to the resource conditions experienced by new variants.