Richard Greenfield

Research:

My research is focused on the broad scope of ecotoxicology and the assessment of aquatic ecosystems. My research covers various aspects of ecotoxicology with an emphasis on both laboratory and field based assessments. 

Current research projects include: 

• Assessing the effects of global climate change on the thermal tolerances of both limpets and mussels along the south African coastline.
• Assessing the distribution of microplastics in the Nyl River system using the Rapid Habitat Assessment Method (RHAM) to aid in determining where the microplastics are accumulating in a river.
• Assessing the extent and distribution of microplastics in the Jukskei River, Gauteng.
• Assessing the physiological effects of E- waste on Danio rerio , following a semi-static exposure, using the Integrated Biomarker Response (IBRv2).
• A evaluation of the wetlands in the Vhembe District, Limpopo Province, using the WET Health monitoring protocol.

Recent publications:

• C.M. VOLSCHENK, Y. IKENAKA, Y.B. YOHANNES, S.M. NAKAYAMA, M/ ISHIZUKA, E.SMIT, J.H.J. VAN VUREN, R. GREENFIELD. (2019) Baseline bio-accumulation concentrations and resulting oxidative stress in Synodontis zambizensis after an acute laboratory exposure to 4,4’-DDT. Pesticide Biochemistry and Physiology. (Online 06/02/2019) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pestbp.2019.02.005.

• NJ BAKER, R GREENFIELD (2019) Shift happens: Changes to the diversity of riverine aquatic macroinvertebrate communities in response to sewage effluent runoff. Ecological Indicators 102: 813-821
• S DAHMS-VERSTER, A NEL, JHJ VAN VUREN, R GREENFIELD (2020) Biochemical responses revealed in an amphibian species after exposure to a forgotten contaminant: An integrated biomarker assessment. Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology volume 73: 103272.  DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.etap.2019.103272
• H.T.J. DAHMS, G. J. VAN RENSBURG, R. GREENFIELD. The microplastic profile of an urban African stream. Science of the Total Environment 731: 138893
• L. DE NECKER, T. NESWISWI, R. GREENFIELD, JHJ. VAN VUREN, L. BRENDONCK, V. WEPENER, N. SMIT (2020) Long-Term Water Quality Patterns of a Flow Regulated Tropical Lowland River. Water 12: 37
• LJ CONNELL, GR JANSEN VAN RENSBURG, A AVENANT-OLDEWAGE, R GREENFIELD (2020) Biomarker responses in African sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), as indicators of potential metal and organic pollution along the Vaal River system, South Africa. African Journal of Aquatic Science 45: 317-328
• TJ de Haas, LJ Connell and R Greenfield*. Investigating the effects of hypersalinity on the cardiac performance of the invasive gastropod Melanoides tuberculata (Müller, 1774). African Zoology 2021: 1–10
• Greenfield R., 2022. Chapter 20: Introduction to Wetland Monitoring. In: Dalu T. and Wasserman R.J., 2022: Fundamentals of Tropical Freshwater Wetlands: from ecology to conservation management. Elsevier, Netherlands. Pp 864
• GJ van Rensburg, V, Wepener, S, Horn, R, Greenfield (2022) Oxidative stress in the freshwater shrimp Caridina africana following exposure to atrazine. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination (in Press).