Quantifying the exposure and effect of dietary microplastics on bovine nutrient utilisation
Supervisors:
Dr Rheinallt Jones, School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Dr William Peveler, School of Chemistry
Dr Michelle Bellingham , School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine
Prof Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay, James Watt School of Engineering
Summary:
Plastic pollution is a considerable threat to animal, environmental and human health. However, we are only just beginning to understand the impact of microplastic exposure on ruminant digestive function. In this project, we will develop high-throughput methods to quantify microplastic contamination in various real-world cattle diets and subsequently determine whether microplastics consumed by cattle are excreted into the environment. Through a series of in vivo and in vitro studies, we aim to evaluate the effects of dietary microplastic exposure on the gastrointestinal environment (e.g., chemical and microbiome), nutrient degradation efficiency, and nutrient uptake.
During this truly interdisciplinary project, students will be supported by experts in animal physiology, analytical chemistry, and ruminant nutrition, gaining a range of skills. Animal-based skills will include ruminant husbandry, behavioural assessment and biological sample collection. Students will learn to quantify nutrient provision and nutrient utilisation, and then proceed to learn in vitro ruminant gastrointestinal modelling, DNA extraction and microbiome analysis, histopathological tissue preparation and image analysis. Analytical laboratory training will enable the student to undertake measurements using a range of chromatography and mass spectrometry tools, as well as mass spectrometry imaging and optical spectroscopy/ microscopy.