Research Project: STREAM: Study of Two Rivers’ eDNA and Anthropogenic Pollutant Monitoring.
Lead Supervisor: Dr Pablo Orozco Ter Wengel
External Partner: Afonydd Cymru

Overflow discharges by water companies as well as run off from agricultural sites flowing into rivers in the UK have been identified as a critical problem increasing pollution and reducing water quality. In several instances it has been shown that increases in pollutants have resulted in concomitant reductions of biodiversity. The focus of this studentship will be to characterise the relationship between the distribution of pollutants and changes in biodiversity in the rivers Taff and Ely. Using environmental DNA and water samples, the student will use metabarcoding to characterise the diversity of plants, animals and bacteria at a range of sites between the headwaters of these rivers and Cardiff Bay. Simultaneously, water samples collected on the same sites will be analysed using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry to detect types of pollutants and their quantity.