2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/20/2019  |   11:15 AM - 11:30 AM   |  A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW: EFFECTS OF CIPROFLOXACIN ON URBAN STREAM BIOFILMS   |  251 AB

A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW: EFFECTS OF CIPROFLOXACIN ON URBAN STREAM BIOFILMS

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), including the commonly prescribed antibiotic ciprofloxacin, are commonly found in freshwaters. Despite their presence in surface waters, PPCP effects on aquatic ecosystem functions at environmentally-realistic concentrations are poorly understood. Stream biofilms perform important aquatic ecosystem functions like primary production and nutrient cycling, but their response to PPCPs is unclear. To better understand ciprofloxacin effects on stream biofilm functioning, we colonized biofilms in situ on tiles at four sites along an urban stream in Gainesville, FL, including two sites below a wastewater reclamation facility (WWRF). After a two-week colonization period, we exposed biofilms to a range (0-1.0 ug/L) of ciprofloxacin concentrations in the lab. Following a 6d lab exposure, we estimated biofilm gross primary production (GPP), respiration (R), and algal biomass (as chla). All responses differed across sites (p<0.01), and ciprofloxacin decreased GPP (p<0.05) regardless of concentration. In contrast, ciprofloxacin did not affect R, although there was a non-significant increase in R at the site immediately below the WWRF. These results suggest that chronic exposure to PPCPs through WWRF effluent can alter biofilm functions, with consequences for higher trophic levels and multiple stream functions.

  • Urban
  • Primary Production
  • Metabolism

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Presenters/Authors

Morgan Gallagher (), Virginia Tech, mtg3@vt.edu;


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Alexander Reisinger (), University of Florida, reisingera@ufl.edu;


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