Supervisory Team:
Prof. Jason Snape – University of York
Dr Isobel Stanton – UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
Prof. Russell Davenport – Newcastle University
Dr John Wilkinson – University of York
Dr Chris Jones – Northumbrian Water Group (member of UKWIR)
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has existed in the natural environment for millennia, however the increased use, and poor stewardship of antibiotics has resulted in the rapid development of AMR to the point where it is threatening modern healthcare, animal husbandry, and food security. The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has just had a special session dedicated to tackling this complex issue as it is predicted that AMR will be the leading cause of morbidity by 2050, and result in >$1 trillion in increased healthcare costs and lost productivity.
Whilst AMR is a One Health issue with interconnected human, animal and environmental components, the significance of natural and engineered wetlands as reservoirs for the evolution, selection, enrichment and removal of AMR and antibacterial resistance genes (ARGs) is understudied, as is the impact of temperature and rainfall on AMR dynamics. This project will examine the impact of multi stressor effects (temperature, precipitation, chemical mixtures and gradients) on AMR, microbial species, populations and communities in natural and engineered wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide. The objectives of this project are to:Use microbiological and molecular methods to quantify changes in the diversity and relative abundance of ARGs, and their host bacteria, over an 18-month period in natural and engineered wetlands, with increased sampling frequencies at high temperatures and periods of high or low rainfall.
Compare the ARG burden, type and microbial hosts between natural and engineered wetlands and their dynamics with changes in temperature and rainfall.
Explore the spatial variability of ARGs, their hosts, and chemical exposure within engineered wetlands (trickling filter beds and reedbeds) where significant chemical gradients exist. The impact of temperature and rainfall on these gradients will also be explored.
Determine the role that engineered reedbeds have in reducing the environmental burden of ARGs and antibiotics.
Investigate how these multiple stressors impact ecosystem services (e.g. nitrogen and phosphorus removal) provided by the natural and engineered wetlands.
The student will have access to state of the art full-scale and pilot wastewater treatment facilities at the Northumbrian Water Group BE:WISe facility, engineered wetlands for enhanced nitrogen and phosphorus removal, molecular biology, analytical chemistry and microbiology facilities. This student will have a balance of field and laboratory work on an issue of increasing global significance.
Essential Skills: Field-based skills; Laboratory skills; Data analysis; Communication skills across broad range of stakeholders; Policy and/or regulation
