Graduation Year
2022
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Organismal Biology
Reader 1
Pete Chandrangsu
Reader 2
Katie Purvis-Roberts
Abstract
The canals of Bangkok, Thailand hold significant economic and social value, yet the increasing urbanization of the city has resulted in increased water pollution. Agricultural runoff and urban waste contribute to the degradation of the water quality, which has impaired its safe usage by the people of the city. This study focused on analyzing the microbiome of the water in the canals in correlation with the surrounding environment, both in and out of the water. Ten sites along the Bangkok canals were analyzed. DNA was isolated for the sequencing of the 16s rRNA gene to determine the microbial diversity of the area and its relation to the water quality. Sites 8, 9, and 10, which were located further inland, were found to consist of a different microbiome compared to sites 1 through 7. The conductivity, total dissolved solids, and salinity were also different between the two groups. Beta diversity analysis suggests that location along the canal likely plays a strong role in determining the microbiome of the water. Understanding the interaction of the water chemistry with the microbiology of the canals allows for local communities to better enact measures to improve the water quality.
Recommended Citation
Tao, Emma, "Understanding the Environmental Implications of the Microbiome of Canals in Bangkok, Thailand" (2022). Scripps Senior Theses. 1997.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1997
Included in
Environmental Health Commons, Environmental Public Health Commons, Other Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Public Health Education and Promotion Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
