BIOINDICATORS OF POLLUTION IN MARINE ENVIRONMENTS

RECABARRÉN-VILLALÓN, TATIANA; ORAZI, MELINA M.; RONDA, ANA C.; ANDRES H ARIAS

Marine Environments: Diversity, Threats and Conservation

Nova Science

Lugar: New York; Año: 2020; p. 150 - 200

World marine ecosystems are constantly impacted byanthropogenic activities, accumulating pollutants from the tropics to thepoles. Physical, chemical, and biological stressors produced by industrialprocesses, intensive agriculture and urban development, have the potential toalter the balance of ecosystems by triggering changes in the bioticcommunities, including the marine environment. Traditionally, the pollutionassessment at these ecosystems has been based on the analysis of specificxenobiotics levels in selected matrices. However, the present challengesrequire an integrated assessment of contamination levels along with theirpossible adverse effects on organisms, even if they are found in concentrationsbelow to the permitted limits. Then, it is essential to develop consistenttools for biomonitoring, while also assessing their potential impacts on humanhealth. Essentially, bioindicators are organisms, populations, or communitiesthat undergo through a certain change when exposed to contamination; thesechanges are based on the complexities of the ecosystem and providerepresentative responses which allow the assessment of the environmental healthfrom a dynamic perspective. A suitable bioindicator should have a wide range ofproperties; however, the selection in marine environments should be based onspecific criteria considering the different habitats (from coastal areas tooffshore, from benthic environments to pelagic waters) and the sensitivitydegree of organisms to diverse pollutants (or pollutants complex) to which theyare exposed. This chapter summarizes numerous marine species from differenttaxonomic groups that have been tagged in the last 20 years to be used asbioindicators of diverse physicochemical pollutants in marine environments; itwill address their suitability according to the different habitats and lifehabits, ranging from microorganisms to marine mammals. Besides, this chapterpresents the most important challenges and advances in the field of marinebioindicators in recent years, which could be relevant for integrativemonitoring purposes and the development of new approaches and technologies inmarine pollution monitoring.