Details

Categorie: 
Stages
Functie: 
Student (University)
Department: 
Aquatic Ecology
AKWA
Contact: 
Asmita Dubey
Lisette de Senerpont Domis
Sluitingsdatum: 
zaterdag 21 mei 2022

Emerging pollutants such as psychoactive drugs have increasingly been detected in surface water and wastewater, raising concerns about a potential threat to humans and ecosystems.

There is growing evidence that psychoactive drugs can negatively impact aquatic organisms via alternations in behavior, chemical communication, growth and reproduction. Effects can also be seen at the ecosystem level i.e. changes in community composition.

There is ongoing research on treatment methods that focus on removal of these compounds from wastewater, although there is also a need for testing to what extent these treatment methods reduce the environmental impacts.

Set-up

The aim of this experiment will be to assess the efficiency of targeted treatment is in removal of psychoactive drugs from wastewater, and whether treatment reduces negative direct and indirect impacts of such drugs on the aquatic ecosystem.

We will assess changes in subtle effects such as behavior and info chemical mediated communication at the organism and ecosystem level. Indoor mesocosms (Limnotrons) will be exposed to water from conventional wastewater treatment (controls, n=3), relative to two different targeted treatments methods. The functional endpoints include primary productivity and respiration, decomposition and nutrient analyses.

Structural endpoints include periphyton and phytoplankton composition, zooplankton composition, bacterial composition and macrofauna count. In addition, volatile signatures of the mesocosms will be measured to ascertain changes in chemical communication and behavioral bioassays with key species will be performed.

Requirements

We are looking for students with a background in aquatic ecology, environmental technology or microbial ecology. Working language is English. 

Skillset to be developed

Phytoplankton monitoring (Phytopam), targeted wastewater treatment, Statistical analysis (R-package), learn how to run a big mesocosm experiment (preparations, maintenance and analysis of several water-quality parameters). 

Duration

3-6 months (July to December).

Contact

Asmita Dubey: A.Dubey@nioo.knaw.nl 
Lisette de Senerpont Domis: L.deSenerpontDomis@nioo.knaw.nl