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Emerging contaminants in aquatic ecosystems: A critical review of the physiological and bioindicator responses of macroinvertebrates in water quality index assessment
Summary
This review of existing research finds that everyday chemicals washing into our waterways, including painkillers like ibuprofen, antidepressants, hormones from birth control, pesticides, and microplastics, are harming small water-dwelling creatures (like insects and shellfish) that scientists rely on to measure water quality, causing them to move slower, reproduce less, and shift which species survive. This matters because these bioindicator species act like an early warning system for polluted water, and if contamination is throwing off their populations, our current tools for judging whether water is safe may be underestimating the problem, potentially delaying action needed to protect drinking water sources
Emerging contaminants, such as antibiotics, antidepressants, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics, hormones, pesticides, and microplastics, pose a growing threat to aquatic ecosystems, primarily affecting macroinvertebrates, which are crucial as bioindicators of water quality. This study aims to evaluate the effects of these contaminants on the physiological and bioindicator responses of macroinvertebrates through a systematic review following the PRISMA methodology and a principal component analysis of standardised, categorised data to identify patterns in sublethal effects. It was found that anti-inflammatories, such as ketoprofen, and antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, alter the reproduction of Daphnia magna, reducing the number of offspring and affecting community structure. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen, affect the locomotion of Gammarus pulex, reducing their speed and mobility, thereby disrupting their feeding and refuge-seeking behaviour. Analgesics, such as diclofenac, reduce the reproduction and abundance of aquatic species, including Neocaridina denticulata, thereby impacting biodiversity. Hormones, such as 17α-ethinylestradiol, interfere with the endocrine system of Mytilus galloprovincialis, thus altering reproduction. Pesticides, such as imidacloprid, favour tolerant species, including Asellus aquaticus, thereby affecting the structure of aquatic communities. Microplastics also alter the locomotion of Gammarus pulex, disrupting their ecological functions. In conclusion, emerging contaminants alter macroinvertebrate communities and compromise traditional water quality indices (BMWP, ASPT, EPT, SPEAR, and AMBI). It is necessary to adapt these indices by incorporating sensitivity weights and a functional approach to achieve more accurate assessments of water quality.