Ostracoda (Crustacea) as indicators of anthropogenic impacts – A review

The impact of human activities on aquatic ecosystems has been a growing concern requiring reliable bioindicators for monitoring environmental changes. Ostracods, a group of small crustaceans, have shown great potential in this role due to their sensitivity to various pollutants and environmental conditions. We review all studied responses of Ostracoda to anthropogenic environmental stresses, covering different types of water bodies worldwide. The review is intended to summarize and highlight benefits of ostracods as indicators for potential implementation in water quality and other studies related to human impacts, including palaeo-research. We document the high value of ostracods for indicating anthropogenic pressures on aquatic ecosystems such as nutrients input, pollution by heavy metals, fertilizers, oil spills and even nuclear pollution with steadily increasing publication output since 1969. Most studies focus on eutrophication so far, but results on metalloids, pesticides, and hydrocarbons look very promising for further exploration. We expect future applications in the field of thermal and nuclear pollution as well as microplastic contamination, where almost no information concerning ostracods exists so far. Analytical methods in use involve indicator species approaches, including toxicity tests, association analysis, morphological variability, and shell chemistry with a recent trend of increasing numbers of papers on ecotoxicology. • Human activities impact aquatic ecosystems, requiring reliable bioindicators. • Ostracods, small crustaceans, are sensitive to pollutants, making them excellent indicators. • The review covers ostracod responses to anthropogenic stresses globally. • Ostracods indicate pollution from nutrients, heavy metals, fertilizers, oil spills, and nuclear pollution.