PAPER PUBLISHED ON UNVEILING LANDSCAPE-LEVEL DRIVERS OF FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY DYNAMICS

Niamh Eastwood, Arron Watson, Jiarui Zhou and Luisa Orsini from the University of Birmingham have analysed water and biofilm samples from lakes across the country to find key links between the presence of pollutants and biodiversity loss. They can now identify the most harmful pollutants present in UK waters that are having the biggest impact on biodiversity thanks to pioneering AI technology developed at the University of Birmingham, a new study published in Environmental DNA has revealed.
The new technology allowed the team of scientists to analyse water and biofilm samples from 52 freshwater lakes across the country, efficiently and effectively sifting through reams of complex data to find key links between the presence of pollutants and biodiversity loss. The data concluded that insecticides and fungicides were the main factors affecting biodiversity, along with 43 other physico-chemical factors, including heavy metals and alkalinity. Please see the full UoB article here: AI technology helps scientists detect which pollutants in England’s lakes are most harmful to life.