Project description DEENESFRITPL A sea change in pharmaceutical residues More than half (66 %) of the toxic micropollutants in water come from pharmaceuticals and personal care products, according to the European Commission. This poses a big threat to aquatic wildlife and ecosystems. The EU-funded AquaDrugs project will identify how exposure to pharmaceutical waste shapes the ecological interactions of multiple species. It will harness new developments in underwater animal tracking and computer automation, and use fish as a model system. Specifically, the project will test how two globally pervasive pharmaceuticals (clobazam and tramadol) influence ecologically important wildlife behaviours and variability. The research will also identify whether and how such changes impact animal collectives. The findings will help policymakers safeguard Europe’s aquatic ecosystems and wildlife from pharmaceutical impacts. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The increasing production and release of pharmaceutical pollutants into waterways is now a leading threat to aquatic wildlife and ecosystems around the world. Despite this, knowledge on the hazards these contaminants cause in complex natural ecosystems is still extremely poor and thus considered an urgent research priority. AquaDrugs will harness new developments in underwater animal tracking and computer automation to identify how pharmaceutical waste in the environment can induce behavioural changes in animals that lead to high-order ecological effects. Through a series of well-integrated experiments, and using fish as a model system, AquaDrugs will trace the impact of pharmaceuticals across biological scales to address four novel and ambitious objectives: (1) test how environmentally relevant concentrations of two globally pervasive pharmaceuticals (clobazam an tramadol), both in isolation and in a mixture, influence ecologically important wildlife behaviours and variability; (2) identify whether, and how, such changes impact animal collectives; (3) determine how pharmaceutical-induced behavioural changes at the individual and group levels scale up to shape aquatic communities; and (4) uncover how exposure shapes the ecological interactions of multiple species. The project will deliver urgently needed data for chemicals regulation leading to improved policies that safeguard Europe’s aquatic ecosystems and wildlife from pharmaceutical impacts. The interdisciplinary approaches and theory in AquaDrugs—from integrative ecology, ecotoxicology, and analytical chemistry—also promises to yield pioneering results and experimental innovations that will advance these scientific fields and boost the expertise and academic career of the research fellow, Dr Marcus Michelangeli. Importantly, the research in AquaDrugs directly addresses key research priorities in Europe including the European Green Deal and the EU’s Mission for ‘Healthy Oceans, Seas, and Inland Waters’. Fields of science natural scienceschemical sciencesanalytical chemistrymedical and health sciencesbasic medicinepharmacology and pharmacypharmaceutical drugsnatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsnatural sciencesearth and related environmental scienceshydrologylimnologysocial scienceseconomics and businesseconomicssustainable economy Programme(s) HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme Topic(s) HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-01 - MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2021 Call for proposal HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme MSCA-PF - MSCA-PF Coordinator SVERIGES LANTBRUKSUNIVERSITET Net EU contribution € 222 727,68 Address ALMAS ALLE 8 750 07 Uppsala Sweden See on map Region Östra Sverige Östra Mellansverige Uppsala län Activity type Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data Partners (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 0,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost No data