Excited to share our new preprint on #bacteria in river biofilms 🦠 🌊 "River biofilm bacteria as sentinels of national-scale freshwater ecosystems" Read the preprint here: doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Welcome back to our "meet the researcher" series! Previously we introduced you to our PhD students. Next up - our staff! 👩‍🔬👨‍🔬🌊🌱🦠🧬

Welcome to our "meet the researcher" series!👩‍🔬👨‍🔬 Tune in over the next week as we introduce you to our UKCEH Molecular Ecology PhD researchers and tell you a bit about their projects! 🧪🧬🦠

@amycthorpe.bsky.social giving insights to #river microbial diversity. Using Environment Agency’s River Surveillance Network, >1500 #biofilms collected, with #metagenomic sequencing for >400. Lots of novel taxa detected. Communities tend to be made up of high occupancy, abundant bacteria #UKDNAWG25

Jono Warren of Environment Agency continues work on #river #biofilms, presenting results of #microbial #metabarcoding. Nitrate = problem for ecological health of rivers. Indicators needed for management. Sensitive and tolerant taxa identified. Placement of ‘good’ ecological threshold key #UKDNAWG25

Did you know the study of environmental DNA (eDNA) of microbes could transform how we understand and protect freshwater ecosystems? Dr Amy Thorpe, a molecular ecologist at UKCEH, shares insights from the first national survey of microbial eDNA in English rivers 🦠🔬