Do pharmaceuticals affect microbial communities in aquatic environments? A review

Autor: Klaudia Świacka, Jakub Maculewicz, Dorota Kowalska, Michael R. Grace
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Environmental Science, Vol 10 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2296-665X
DOI: 10.3389/fenvs.2022.1093920
Popis: Pharmaceuticals have been identified as a significant threat to the environment. Their constant flow into aquatic ecosystems means that organisms are chronically exposed. To date, there has been a large number of scientific papers assessing the impact of pharmaceuticals on individual organisms from different taxonomic groups. However, the effects of drugs on the environment can be much broader than what can be determined in toxicity tests on individual organisms. These compounds can disrupt entire communities. In this context, special attention should be paid to microbial communities, which regulate many essential processes underpinning aquatic food webs and ecosystem services. This paper reviews current developments related to the effects of pharmaceuticals on microorganisms with a particular focus on whole-community investigations, in both fresh and salt water. We also summarize the opportunities associated with both in situ and laboratory studies, and highlight important knowledge gaps.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals