title: Ecological relevance of biomarkers in monitoring studies of macro-invertebrates and fish in Mediterranean rivers.
abstract: Mediterranean rivers are probably one of the most singular and endangered ecosystems worldwide due to the presence of many endemic species and a long history of anthropogenic impacts. Besides a conservation value per se, biodiversity is related to the services that ecosystems provide to society and the ability of these to cope with stressors, including climate change. Using macro-invertebrates and fish as sentinel organisms, this overview presents a synthesis of the state of the art in the application of biomarkers (stress and enzymatic responses, endocrine disruptors, trophic tracers, energy and bile metabolites, genotoxic indicators, histopathological and behavioural alterations, and genetic and cutting edge omic markers) to determine the causes and effects of anthropogenic stressors on the biodiversity of European Mediterranean rivers. We also discuss how a careful selection of sentinel species according to their ecological traits and the food-web structure of Mediterranean rivers could increase the ecological relevance of biomarker responses. Further, we provide suggestions to better harmonise ecological realism with experimental design in biomarker studies, including statistical analyses, which may also deliver a more comprehensible message to managers and policy makers. By keeping on the safe side the health status of populations of multiple-species in a community, we advocate to increase the resilience of fluvial ecosystems to face present and forecasted stressors. In conclusion, this review provides evidence that multi-biomarker approaches detect early signs of impairment in populations, and supports their incorporation in the standardised procedures of the Water Frame Work Directive to better appraise the status of European water bodies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: colin.nicole@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Colin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Cinta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Porte
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, ES-08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Francesc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Padrós
authors.affiliation: Departament de Biologia Animal, Biologia Vegetal i Ecologia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, ES-08193 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Maite
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrassón
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Monroy
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Oriol
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cano-Rocabayera
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain; Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Adolfo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: de Sostoa
authors.affiliation: Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research (IDAEA-CSIC), ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Benjamín
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Piña
authors.affiliation: Institute of Research in Biodiversity (IRBio), Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, ES-08028 Barcelona, Spain; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF10 3AX, UK; Department of Integrative Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), ES-41092 Sevilla, Spain.
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maceda-Veiga
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D057231:Climate Change; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005399:Fishes / Q000378:metabolism*; D020387:Food Chain; D007448:Invertebrates / Q000378:metabolism*; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D045483:Rivers
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors
keywords: Bioassessment; Bioindicators; Ecosystem health; Intermittent rivers; Keystone species; Species traits