![Numair Masud](https://profiles-cardiff.imgix.net/attachments/1126?w=200&h=200&auto=format&crop=faces&fit=crop&q=90")
Dr Numair Masud
(he/him)
Reasearch Associate
School of Biosciences
Overview
I am passionate about understanding how various anthropogenic stressors impact fish welfare and crucially testing whether intervention strategies to help improve fish welfare and their environment really works. Understanding and potentially improving fish welfare has been a slow endeavour, with the knowledge that fish can neurologically respond to pain only being discovered in 2003. This neglect of fish welfare has contributed to the 'silent extinction' of many fish species, with freshwater species in particular facing higher extinction rates than any other group of vertebrates on the planet. Using an interdisciplinary approach has meant I have been able to understand how a broad range of anthropogenic factors, including plastic pollution, eutrophication, aquaculture feeds and even infectious disease treatments impact fish welfare.
Key research interests:
- - Impact of anthropogenic factors on fish behaviour, physiology and disease resistance
- - Developing infectious disease prevention and control strategies
Publication
2024
- MacAulay, S., Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2024. Analysis of bamboo fibres and their associated dye on a freshwater fish host-parasite system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31(38), pp. 51025-51036. (10.1007/s11356-024-34626-7)
- Masud, N., Williams, C., James, J. and Cable, J. 2024. Infectivity of an emerging fish parasite Gyrodactylus sprostonae in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio). Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries 4(3), article number: e170. (10.1002/aff2.170)
- James, J. et al. 2024. Using eDNA to detect freshwater invasive non-native species under controlled conditions. Management of Biological Invasions 15(1), pp. 41-50. (10.3391/mbi.2024.15.1.03)
- Robison-Smith, C., Masud, N., Tarring, E. C., Ward, B. D. and Cable, J. 2024. A class of their own? Water-soluble polymer pollution impacting a freshwater host-pathogen system. Science of the Total Environment 907, article number: 168086. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168086)
2023
- MacAulay, S., Masud, N., Davies-Jones, J., Ward, B. D. and Cable, J. 2023. The impacts of synthetic and cellulose-based fibres and their associated dyes on fish hosts and parasite health. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (10.1007/s11356-023-30794-0)
- Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2023. Microplastic exposure and consumption increases susceptibility to gyrodactylosis and host mortality for a freshwater fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 153, pp. 81-85. (10.3354/dao03721)
2022
- Masud, N., Davies-Jones, A., Griffin, B. and Cable, J. 2022. Differential effects of two prevalent environmental pollutants on host-pathogen dynamics. Chemosphere 295, article number: 133879. (10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133879)
2020
- Jackson, J. A., Friberg, I. M., Hablützel, P. I., Masud, N., Stewart, A., Synnott, R. and Cable, J. 2020. Partitioning the environmental drivers of immunocompetence. Science of the Total Environment 747, article number: 141152. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141152)
- Masud, N. 2020. A fishy tale: the impact of multiple stressors on host behaviour, physiology, and susceptibility to infectious disease. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
- Masud, N., Ellison, A., Pope, E. C. and Cable, J. 2020. Cost of a deprived environment - increased intraspecific aggression and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Journal of Experimental Biology 223(20), article number: jeb229450. (10.1242/jeb.229450)
- Masud, N., Hayes, L., Crivelli, D., Grigg, S. and Cable, J. 2020. Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival. Royal Society Open Science 7(9), article number: 200172. (10.1098/rsos.200172)
2019
- Masud, N., Synnott, R., Hablutzel, P. I., Friberg, I. M., Cable, J. and Jackson, J. A. 2019. Not going with the flow: locomotor activity does not constrain immunity in a wild fish. Ecology and Evolution 9(21), pp. 12089-12098. (10.1002/ece3.5658)
- Masud, N., Ellison, A. and Cable, J. 2019. A neglected fish stressor: mechanical disturbance during transportation impacts susceptibility to disease in a globally important ornamental fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 134(1), pp. 25-32. (10.3354/dao03362)
Erthyglau
- MacAulay, S., Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2024. Analysis of bamboo fibres and their associated dye on a freshwater fish host-parasite system. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 31(38), pp. 51025-51036. (10.1007/s11356-024-34626-7)
- Masud, N., Williams, C., James, J. and Cable, J. 2024. Infectivity of an emerging fish parasite Gyrodactylus sprostonae in juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio). Aquaculture, Fish and Fisheries 4(3), article number: e170. (10.1002/aff2.170)
- James, J. et al. 2024. Using eDNA to detect freshwater invasive non-native species under controlled conditions. Management of Biological Invasions 15(1), pp. 41-50. (10.3391/mbi.2024.15.1.03)
- Robison-Smith, C., Masud, N., Tarring, E. C., Ward, B. D. and Cable, J. 2024. A class of their own? Water-soluble polymer pollution impacting a freshwater host-pathogen system. Science of the Total Environment 907, article number: 168086. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.168086)
- MacAulay, S., Masud, N., Davies-Jones, J., Ward, B. D. and Cable, J. 2023. The impacts of synthetic and cellulose-based fibres and their associated dyes on fish hosts and parasite health. Environmental Science and Pollution Research (10.1007/s11356-023-30794-0)
- Masud, N. and Cable, J. 2023. Microplastic exposure and consumption increases susceptibility to gyrodactylosis and host mortality for a freshwater fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 153, pp. 81-85. (10.3354/dao03721)
- Masud, N., Davies-Jones, A., Griffin, B. and Cable, J. 2022. Differential effects of two prevalent environmental pollutants on host-pathogen dynamics. Chemosphere 295, article number: 133879. (10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.133879)
- Jackson, J. A., Friberg, I. M., Hablützel, P. I., Masud, N., Stewart, A., Synnott, R. and Cable, J. 2020. Partitioning the environmental drivers of immunocompetence. Science of the Total Environment 747, article number: 141152. (10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141152)
- Masud, N., Ellison, A., Pope, E. C. and Cable, J. 2020. Cost of a deprived environment - increased intraspecific aggression and susceptibility to pathogen infections. Journal of Experimental Biology 223(20), article number: jeb229450. (10.1242/jeb.229450)
- Masud, N., Hayes, L., Crivelli, D., Grigg, S. and Cable, J. 2020. Noise pollution: acute noise exposure increases susceptibility to disease and chronic exposure reduces host survival. Royal Society Open Science 7(9), article number: 200172. (10.1098/rsos.200172)
- Masud, N., Synnott, R., Hablutzel, P. I., Friberg, I. M., Cable, J. and Jackson, J. A. 2019. Not going with the flow: locomotor activity does not constrain immunity in a wild fish. Ecology and Evolution 9(21), pp. 12089-12098. (10.1002/ece3.5658)
- Masud, N., Ellison, A. and Cable, J. 2019. A neglected fish stressor: mechanical disturbance during transportation impacts susceptibility to disease in a globally important ornamental fish. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 134(1), pp. 25-32. (10.3354/dao03362)
Gosodiad
- Masud, N. 2020. A fishy tale: the impact of multiple stressors on host behaviour, physiology, and susceptibility to infectious disease. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Research
Latest Research Project
Plastic fish: assessing the scale, chemical properties, and biological effects of petrochemical plastics and bioplastics on aquaculture fish
This project has two broad aims: use cutting edge polymer analysis to investigate the scale, and biochemical properties of plastic polymers within aquaculture and investigate the impacts of a subset of these common plastics and associated chemical additives on fish health. Specific objectives:
1) Plastic survey: identify and quantity plastic contamination in UK freshwater aquaculture facilities.
2) Petrochemical plastics: determine the chemical adsorption and desorption capacity of microplastics in relation to plasticisers, thermal stabilisers, and aquatic toxins as well as understanding their impacts on aquaculture fish growth, metabolism, disease resistance and underlying molecular mechanisms.
3) Biobased plastics: determine the degradability, adsorption, and desorption capacity of biobased plastics (i.e., bioplastics) compared with petrochemical plastics within aquaculture environments and their biological impacts on fish health.
Broad Research Themes
Aquaculture: with our industry partner Adisseo-Nutriad, I have investigated how fortified feeds impact disease resistance in fish. In developing and testing fortified feeds, aquaculture is addressing preventative and control strategies that replaces the traditional approach of chemical treatments.
Ornamental trade: my research has focussed on how various stressors including, transport stress, enrichment deprivation and noise pollution impact fish physiology, behaviour, and disease resistance. With fish being the most populous pets in western households, such primary research offers insights into how neglected stressors might be impacting fish welfare. Techniques used include behavioural analysis, respirometry and experimental parasitology.
Ecosystems: using an interdisciplinary approach, I investigate how various ecosystem pollutants such as microplastics and herbicides impact freshwater fish welfare. Here, I have drawn on various techniques including NMR spectroscopy, transcriptomic analysis, and experimental parasitology.
Line manager
Contact Details
Research themes
Specialisms
- Freshwater ecology
- Aquaculture and fisheries stock assessment
- Fish pests and diseases
- Polymers and plastics
