Volta

Nematode-Based Pollution Indices for Aquatic Ecosystems

Bioindication is an important tool for assessing the risks of anthropogenic impact on freshwater and marine ecosystems and for triggering appropriate water management actions to improve the ecological quality. However, in the European Union, only approximately 40% of all surface waterbodies have achieved good ecological and chemical status. Current bioindication systems are mainly based on macroinvertebrates, neglecting the prevailing microscopic meiofauna in fine, cohesive sediments, which are often hotspots of chemical contamination. This chapter highlights the urgent need for including meiofaunal organisms, such as nematodes, in routine biomonitoring programmes to achieve: (i) a more accurate classification of ecological status; and (ii) a better cause–effect-based identification of anthropogenic impacts on rivers, lakes, seas, and the ocean. Considering also the bio-indicative power …

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