Marine benthic organisms are affected by various environmental stresses, including anthropogenic pollution. Changes in their ecological and physiological characteristics can provide critical insights into marine ecosystem health. Several benthic organisms are used as bioindicators, and these include bacteria, microalgae, crustaceans, foraminifera, and benthic macroinvertebrates.
Understanding the responses of marine species or communities to pollution remains a critical issue in marine ecology. Biomarkers are commonly used to assess biological changes in marine organisms following exposure to environmental contaminants. These biomarkers are sometimes endpoints of ecological, behavioral, biochemical, physiological, chemical, genotoxic, and molecular events. A comprehensive understanding of the diversity and structure of benthic communities, changes in biomarkers, bioaccumulation of contaminants, and mechanisms associated with biological responses can provide insight into managing and conserving marine ecosystems.
While many benthic marine organisms are tolerant to environmental stressors, their ecological and biological responses and their associated biomarkers are not well-understood. Effective strategies for the assessment of marine environment by using biological information and biomarkers are urgent for the ubiquitous application. Especially, the understanding of biological uptake of contaminants and its ecological roles will build a solid foundation for environmental governance.
The focus of this Research Topic is to explore the use of benthic communities, proxies, and biomarkers for the assessment and monitoring of marine pollution. It calls for original and novel papers presenting and discussing field and laboratory studies involving the following research topics:
1. The relationship and interactions between benthic organisms and environmental contaminants and natural stresses.
2. Morphological, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms for the response of benthic organisms to environmental stresses.
3. The development and application of biomarkers for the evaluation of pollution and other environmental stresses.
4. The evaluation of pollutant accumulation and toxicity in coastal ecosystem.
5. The prediction of Ecological Quality Status (EQS) through proxies, models, or laboratory experiments.
6. The evaluation of environmental risk by using computational approaches (meta-data analysis, machine learning, and models are encouraged).
Marine benthic organisms are affected by various environmental stresses, including anthropogenic pollution. Changes in their ecological and physiological characteristics can provide critical insights into marine ecosystem health. Several benthic organisms are used as bioindicators, and these include bacteria, microalgae, crustaceans, foraminifera, and benthic macroinvertebrates.
Understanding the responses of marine species or communities to pollution remains a critical issue in marine ecology. Biomarkers are commonly used to assess biological changes in marine organisms following exposure to environmental contaminants. These biomarkers are sometimes endpoints of ecological, behavioral, biochemical, physiological, chemical, genotoxic, and molecular events. A comprehensive understanding of the diversity and structure of benthic communities, changes in biomarkers, bioaccumulation of contaminants, and mechanisms associated with biological responses can provide insight into managing and conserving marine ecosystems.
While many benthic marine organisms are tolerant to environmental stressors, their ecological and biological responses and their associated biomarkers are not well-understood. Effective strategies for the assessment of marine environment by using biological information and biomarkers are urgent for the ubiquitous application. Especially, the understanding of biological uptake of contaminants and its ecological roles will build a solid foundation for environmental governance.
The focus of this Research Topic is to explore the use of benthic communities, proxies, and biomarkers for the assessment and monitoring of marine pollution. It calls for original and novel papers presenting and discussing field and laboratory studies involving the following research topics:
1. The relationship and interactions between benthic organisms and environmental contaminants and natural stresses.
2. Morphological, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms for the response of benthic organisms to environmental stresses.
3. The development and application of biomarkers for the evaluation of pollution and other environmental stresses.
4. The evaluation of pollutant accumulation and toxicity in coastal ecosystem.
5. The prediction of Ecological Quality Status (EQS) through proxies, models, or laboratory experiments.
6. The evaluation of environmental risk by using computational approaches (meta-data analysis, machine learning, and models are encouraged).