Major
Biological Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
2026
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Pharmaceuticals, which include prescription and non-prescription drugs, have been detected in human-impacted streams throughout the world, raising concerns about the potential ecological effects of these drugs. The goal of my project was to assess the potential effects of pharmaceutical pollution on leaf litter decomposition by microorganisms as an indicator of stream health. We added a mixture of eight antibiotics to four artificial stream channels, with four control channels receiving no antibiotics, and used cotton strips as a surrogate for leaves. Addition of antibiotics stimulated leaf litter decomposition, increased bacterial community diversity and altered bacterial community composition after 14 days, but these effects did not persist. The results demonstrate the potential for antibiotic pollution to impact stream ecosystems.
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Dr. John J. Kelly, Department of Biology
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Microbial Responses to Pharmaceutical Pollution in Streams
Pharmaceuticals, which include prescription and non-prescription drugs, have been detected in human-impacted streams throughout the world, raising concerns about the potential ecological effects of these drugs. The goal of my project was to assess the potential effects of pharmaceutical pollution on leaf litter decomposition by microorganisms as an indicator of stream health. We added a mixture of eight antibiotics to four artificial stream channels, with four control channels receiving no antibiotics, and used cotton strips as a surrogate for leaves. Addition of antibiotics stimulated leaf litter decomposition, increased bacterial community diversity and altered bacterial community composition after 14 days, but these effects did not persist. The results demonstrate the potential for antibiotic pollution to impact stream ecosystems.