Impact of Arctic warming on antimicrobial resistance_REP2025

Impact of Arctic warming on antimicrobial resistance_REP2025

Lead Supervisor:
Dr Marcela Hernández García

Locations:
University of East Anglia

Duration:
6 weeks

Suitable undergraduate degree:
Environmental Microbiology

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Project background

Soil is one of the largest and most diverse habitats on Earth and it is vital for ecosystems and food production, among other ecosystem services. Soil microorganisms constitute a reservoir of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) available for exchange with clinical pathogens, harbouring as much as 30% of all known ARGs in sequence databases1. ARGs have been found in soils across diverse ecosystems, including remote areas such as the Arctic.

There is emerging evidence from terrestrial ecosystems that antibiotics and warming independently contribute to increased atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. Moreover, we also found that microbial interactions shape the temporal dynamics of AMR in the Arctic. We have recently studied whether, how, and why antimicrobial resistance (AMR) varies with soil age in recently deglaciated pioneer and developing Arctic soils using a space-for-time chronosequence approach. We observed that antimicrobial resistance increases over time, and its temporal spread is dependent on competitive and facilitative interactions among microbes for nutrients2.

This proposal aims to investigate whether warming interacts and emerges as a threat to AMR spread through alterations in ARG abundance and soil microbial communities. We hypothesise that warmer soils in the Arctic will exhibit higher levels of AMR.

In this project, you will isolate antibiotic-resistant bacteria from deglaciated Arctic soils and determine their AMR potential. You will also identify those isolates through whole-genome sequencing and use in-silico programs3 to identify potential antibiotic-resistant genes, ultimately contributing to a better understanding of the environmental factors driving this global health concern.

Methodology

Soil sampling. We will sample soils from warmed and control plots from an ongoing 10-year open-chamber warming experiment at Kongsfjordneset, Svalbard, at the westernmost extent of the Brøgger Peninsula.

Community level. You will incubate soils collected from the warming experiments in the presence of antibiotics (Tetracycline, ampicillin, meropenem, gentamicin, and ciprofloxacin) at in situ temperatures. These antibiotics were successfully used in our previous study2, which encompass different antibiotic classes and are frequently used in human and veterinary medicine. To control for the stress effect of remnant antibiotics, microbes will be removed from soil by Nycodenz extraction, washed (e.g. with saline), and added to fresh soil that has not received antibiotics. You will monitor the abundance of AMR genes against the comprehensive antibiotic resistance database and characterise the microbial community through 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing.

Species level: multidrug-resistant and sensitive bacterial strains will be isolated using minimal media with different carbon/energy sources either with or without antibiotic selection. We aim to obtain 20 to 50 strains, each of relatively high and low antibiotic-sensitivity strains. You will perform whole genome sequencing for their identification and to characterise ARGs as described above.

This work is a collaboration between Marcela Hernández at UEA, Marc Dumont (University of Southampton, UK), and James Bradley (MIO, Marseille, France). Online meetings will be held throughout the duration of this placement.

References.

[1] Nesme, J. & Simonet, P. (2015) Environ Microbiol. 17:913-930. https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.12631

[2] Roy et al., 2025. BMC Microbiol. 25:50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12866-025-03745-7

[3] Dawson et al., 2025. Environ Microbiome 20:12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40793-025-00672-y

Eligibilty criteria

Students must meet all of the eligibility requirements listed below to apply for a REP:

  • Be undertaking their first undergraduate degree studies (or integrated Masters) – note that students in in their final year who have graduated and no longer have student status at the time the placement starts are not eligible;
  • Be eligible for subsequent NERC PhD funding (please see the relevant text in the Terms and conditions for training funding and associated guidance for further information); and
  • have the right to work in the UK.

 

Students from outside the UK who do not already have right to work in the UK, should not apply.

How to apply

The deadline for applications will be 12:00 on Monday 19 May 2025.  

In order to be considered for a placement, please apply to aries.dtp@uea.ac.uk providing the following:

  • A supporting statement explaining your motivation for applying for this project. Please include answers to the following questions:
    • which project are you applying for?
    • why have you applied for this project (e.g. what interested you about this project, what in particular made you want to undertake this research)?
    • what do you hope to achieve by undertaking this placement (e.g. is it for experience, to gain skills, to develop your interests)?
    • what skills do you have that make you an ideal candidate for this placement (e.g. what skills have you developed during your degree that might apply)?
    • what do you hope to do when you complete your degree (e.g. have you considered a working in scientific research in the future, or is this your first experience)?
  • A recent CV
  • A reference from your personal tutor (please ask your tutor to send this to us directly)
  • An interim transcript if available
  • Please also complete the online EDI form (this form is a mandatory part of the application process, but contains ‘prefer not to say’ options for all questions asked)
Selection process

·  Applications are screened for eligibility

·  Applications are forwarded to supervisors (the EDI form is not included)

·  Supervisors shortlist candidates and interview for the placement.

Candidates will be scored according to the following criteria:

  • Fit to project (e.g. your current skills, area of study, interests)
  • Enthusiasm for environmental research (e.g. what you hope to achieve through undertaking this placement, why you chose this project in particular)
  • Evidence of suitability to undertake a research placement (e.g. evidence from your tutor reference, transcript, and CV that you are an engaged student)

Successful candidates will be informed by Friday 13th June 2025