Poster Details
THE IMPACT OF ANTIBIOTICS ON SEDIMENT BIOGEOCHEMCIAL PROCESSES IN URBAN STREAMS
The presence of antibiotics in the environment have been identified as an emerging environmental contaminant problem (Buxton, 2014). These compounds have been detected in various levels in stream water and sediments downstream of wastewater treatment facilities (WWTFs). Much is known surrounding bacterial resistance associated with exposure to antibiotics. However, little is known about the potential impact these antibiotics may have on microbial communities that are critical for nitrification, denitrification, methanogenesis and methane oxidation. The present study proposes to identify the most abundant antibiotics and their concentration in surface water, porewater, and sediment downstream of WWTFs and other non-point sources. The most abundant antibiotics will be studied in microcosms of stream sediment and water to assess the potential impact common antibiotics may have on nitrification, denitrification, methanogenesis, and methane oxidation. Previous studies have demonstrated that antibiotics can limit these processes, however, the concentration used were above environmental relevance. Accordingly, this study is designed to assess the impact of antibiotics on these ecosystem functions at environmentally relevant concentrations.
Austin Gray (Primary Presenter/Author), Virginia Tech, austindg@vt.edu;
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech