How important are wildlife as a source of microbial pollution of water in agricultural catchments?

We are seeking a highly motivated individual to carry out interdisciplinary PhD research linking across water quality and applied microbiology, environmental risk assessment and public health.

Climate change represents one of the most significant emerging threats to human health in our world. For example, waterborne illness, currently responsible for over 3.4 million deaths every year, is expected to increase because of predicted climate-driven impacts on water quantity and quality. Understanding the full range of possible sources of microbial pollution in catchment systems is therefore particularly important in helping devise management approaches to limit contamination of surface waters with potential pathogens. E. coli is an important indicator of microbial contamination in the environment; it is the most routinely monitored faecal indicator organism (FIO) in environmental samples and used extensively in environmental regulation. In recent years there has been increased effort to characterise sources of E. coli, from agricultural activity, e.g. grazing livestock and land application of manures and slurry. In contrast, very little is currently known about the contributions of E. coli from wildlife such as deer, geese and other waterfowl. Uncertainty in E. coli loading from wildlife and wildfowl, and in the behaviour of these FIO populations can undermine model predictions of microbial pollution in agricultural systems.

The overarching aim of this studentship is to generate critical analyses of the relative risks of waterborne microbial pollution originating from different wildlife within the agricultural landscape and set this knowledge within an existing risk-based framework.
Key research questions

1)How important are common UK wildlife, e.g. deer, geese, in terms of their contribution to FIO loading of catchments?
2)Does the magnitude of FIOs sourced from common wildlife types vary in space (e.g. in different catchments) and time (e.g. across seasons).
3)To what extent does FIO die-off vary within different wildlife faeces under specific environmental conditions and what factors control the efficiency of FIO mobilisation from wildlife faeces?
4)How can we predict FIO contributions from wildlife at the landscape scale?

This interdisciplinary studentship links environmental microbiology, environmental risk assessment and catchment management. The project will involve fieldwork, laboratory experiments and GIS mapping of catchments to help contextualise the relative risk of wildlife contributions in a series of typical catchment systems. Following an initial critical literature review, the studentship will comprise three core aspects, namely: (1) fundamental understanding of different wildlife sources of FIOs in catchment systems; (2) Detailed characterisation of persistence profiles of FIOs (and potential pathogens) in different wildlife faeces; & (3) evaluations of mobilisation and transfer characteristics of FIOs from faeces associated with different wildlife, under a range of environmental scenarios.

The project will make use of UK catchments that already have existing research platforms with supporting data and infrastructure. In addition, replicated microcosm experiments investigating the persistence of FIOs compared with specific pathogens, e.g. E. coli O157, in different wildlife faecal sources will be conducted within controlled environmental conditions (e.g. constant temperature and also variable diurnal regimes using climate controlled chambers), and be complemented with field-relevant experiments to detail persistence profiles under variable interacting environmental factors. The studentship will also develop a GIS-based modelling framework to predict how wildlife will contribute to the source loading of FIOs at the landscape scale, and how this is likely to vary in space and time. For example, woody linear features may act as sources of FIOs by acting as wildlife corridors and latrines for some FIO contributing species.
This studentship will provide a platform to build an interdisciplinary research career in applied microbiology and water quality in the context of diffuse pollution modelling and human health impact. The studentship will broaden the scope of the applicant’s skills base by providing specialist training in the safe handling of Hazard Group 2 microorganisms & microbiological techniques, and by developing expertise in the use of a wide range of interdisciplinary field, laboratory, & GIS modelling methodologies.

The entry qualification for this PhD studentship is a first class or upper second class honours degree and/or a relevant postgraduate degree, in either biological/environmental sciences, ecology or geography. Whilst experience in microbiology would be useful, it is not essential as the student will receive full laboratory training. The deadline for applications is 5pm on Monday 8th January 2018. However candidates are encouraged to apply in advance of this date.
Informal enquiries to Dr. David Oliver: [Email Address Removed]