Mark R. Servos

Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection

Bachelor of Science (BSc), Master of Science (MSc) Guelph, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Manitoba

Email: mservos@uwaterloo.ca

Telephone: (519) 888-4567 ext. 36034

Office: Biology 2 158A

Research interests

The research group of Prof. Mark Servos is exploring a variety issues related to predicting and managing the risk of human activities in aquatic ecosystems.  Natural environmental gradients (e.g. geomorphology, hydrology) occur across watersheds that influence water quality, productivity, metabolism, species assemblages and function of ecosystems. Human activities disrupt these natural processes and introduce numerous stressors, including a diversity of contaminants, into the environment. These stressors may act together to cause cumulative effects in watersheds and limit the resiliency and sustainability of ecosystems. The objective of our research program is to build predictive relationships to better model how contaminant exposure leads to effects in fish at various levels of biological organization (from gene expression to populations) and how natural gradients within watersheds modify these responses. We work within a risk assessment framework to define exposure and effects and formulate innovative technologies and solutions to minimize risk to the environment. Research outcomes support the development of more effective risk assessments, monitoring programs and implementation of remedial actions in watersheds.   

Current research interests include:

• Predicting the environmental exposure of emerging contaminants in the environment.
• Isolation and identification of chemicals responsible for biological effects.
• Enhanced understanding of the mechanistic linkages (Adverse Outcome Pathways) across levels of biological organization leading to effects on fish at the population and community level.
• Cumulative effects assessment at the watershed scale.
• Development and application of innovative technologies and approaches for risk management and mitigation of stressors (e.g. contaminants, effluents).

Prof. Mark R. Servos is currently the Canada Research Chair in Water Quality Protection in the Department of Biology. He joined the University of Waterloo as a Professor of Biology in 2003 and served as Scientific Director of the Canadian Water Network until 2011.  In 1988, Dr. Servos started as a Research Scientist with the Lakes Research Branch of Environment Canada and later joined the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Great Lakes Laboratory for Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences where he researched environmental fate and effects of contaminants in the Great Lakes. He joined the National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, in 1996, as Project Chief, and led a group of scientists studying exposure and effects of priority substances.  He has helped to organize numerous international meetings/workshops, participated in several expert panels in this field and plays an active role in several major international societies (e.g. Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry).  He has published numerous peer reviewed articles on the treatment, exposure, fate and effects of organic contaminants in the environment.

To learn more about the research and training activities in the Servos Group please visit https://uwaterloo.ca/servos-group/

Selected Publications

Ings J.S., M.M. Vijayan, M.R. Servos. 2012. Tissue-specific metabolic changes in response to an acute handling disturbance in juvenile rainbow trout exposed to municipal wastewater effluent. Aquatic Toxicology.  108:53-59.   http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.09.009

Tetreault, G.R., C.J. Bennett, C. Cheng, M.R. Servos, M.E. McMaster. 2012. Reproductive and histopathological effects in wild fish inhabiting an effluent-dominated stream, Wascana Creek, SK, Canada. Aquatic Toxicology. 110-111: 149-161. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquatox.2012.01.004

Brown, C., B. Knight, M. McMaster, K. Munkittrick, K. Oakes, G. Tetreault, M. Servos. 2011. The effects of tertiary treated municipal wastewater on fish communities in the Speed River, Ontario. Environmental Pollution 159(7):1923-1931 doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2011.03.014

Tetreault, G., C. Bennett, K. Shires, B. Knight, M. Servos, M. McMaster. 2011. Intersex and reproductive impairment of two species wild fish exposed to multiple municipal wastewater discharges in Canada.  Aquatic Toxicology In press Aquatic Toxicology 104:278-290. doi:10.1016/j.aquatox.2011.05.008

Ings, J., M. Servos, M. Vijayan. AL 2011. Hepatic transcriptomics and protein responses to in situ municipal wastewater effluent exposure in rainbow trout. Environmental Science Technology 45 (6), 2368-2376  http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es103122g

Zhang, X,  K.D. Oakes, S. Wang, S. Cui, J. Pawliszyn, M.R. Servos.  2012. In vivo sampling of environmental organic contaminants in fish by solid-phase microextraction. Trends in Analytical Chemistry. 31:32-39.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.trac.2011.09.005

Zhang, X., K. Oakes, M. Hoque, D. Luong, S. Taheri-Nia, C. Lee, B. Smith, M. Servos. 2012. Depth-profiling of environmental pharmaceuticals in biological tissue by solid-phase microextraction. Analytical Chemistry 84(16): 6956-6962. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac3004659

Wang, S., K.Oakes, L.Bragg, J.Pawliszyn, D.Dixon, M.Servos. 2011. Validation of in vivo SPME for the detection of emerging contaminants in fish. Chemosphere 85 (9):1472-1480. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2011.08.035

Zhang X., K.D. Oakes, D. Luong, C.D. Metcalfe, J. Pawliszyn and M.R. Servos. 2011. Kinetically-calibrated Solid-Phase Microextraction using label-free standards and its application for pharmaceutical analysis. Analytical Chemistry 83(6): 2371-2377.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac200032k

Togunde O.P, K.D. Oakes, M.R. Servos and J.D. Pawliszyn.  2012 Determination of pharmaceutical residues in fish bile by solid-phase microextraction with LC/MS/MS. Environmental Science Technol. 46(10): 5302-5309. http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/es203758n

Hu, A., Y. Zhou, X. Zhang, K. Oakes, M. Servos. 2011. Hydrothermal growth of TiO₂ nanowire membranes for ultrafiltration and photocatalytic degradation of pharmaceuticals. J. Hazardous Materials 189 (1-2): 278-285 doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2011.02.033