NAISS
SUPR
NAISS Projects
SUPR
Metagenomic responses linked to micropollutants along the Swedish coast
Dnr:

NAISS 2025/22-1283

Type:

NAISS Small Compute

Principal Investigator:

Pedro Inostroza

Affiliation:

Göteborgs universitet

Start Date:

2025-09-22

End Date:

2026-10-01

Primary Classification:

10509: Oceanography, Hydrology and Water Resources

Allocation

Abstract

The escalating release of diverse micropollutants into coastal environments poses a significant, yet poorly understood, threat to marine ecosystem health. These contaminants, including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and industrial chemicals, often occur as complex mixtures, complicating assessments of their ecological impact. This study investigates the functional and structural responses of the coastal microbiome to mixture of micropollutants along the Swedish coast. The coastal microbiome, a cornerstone of biogeochemical cycling, provides crucial ecosystem services, and its disruption could have far-reaching consequences for nutrient dynamics, primary productivity, and food web stability. Our research is grounded in the hypothesis that micropollutant mixtures exert a selective pressure on microbial communities, driving shifts in both community composition and metabolic potential. To test this, we collected water samples from multiple sites along the Swedish coast, encompassing areas with varying levels of anthropogenic input, from pristine environments to highly impacted urban estuaries. We employed a metagenomic approach to characterize the genomic potential of the microbiome, identifying key metabolic pathways and genes related to pollutant degradation, stress response, and resistance. This research provides a foundational understanding of how coastal microbiomes adapt and respond to chemical stressors. The findings are not only crucial for comprehending the resilience and vulnerability of these critical ecosystems but also have broader implications for human health, as these environments are a nexus for pathogen and antibiotic resistance gene exchange.