Biomonitoring of Benthic Diatoms as Indicators of Water Qual-ity, Assessing the Present and Projecting the Future: A Review

Abstract

This article delves into using benthic diatoms as bioindicators of water quality, focusing on their ability to detect eutrophication and pollution resulting from industrialization and urbanization. We systematically analyzed 1099 articles from databases such as Web of Science and Scopus using PRISMA methodology, evaluating the efficacy, role, utilities, limitations, and influence of environmental factors of diatoms. The results show variability in water quality monitoring methods, from multivariate analyses to formulas based on species abundance. We highlighted the need for adaptability and validation of specific indices such as IDP and DDI, principally due to limitations in their transregional applicability. In South America, only four countries have developed their methods for assessment using diatoms, while others still rely on international standards. This fact underlines the importance of implementing effective local policies to manage water resources. Finally, we concluded that diatoms are crucial biological indicators for monitoring aquatic ecosystems, although challenges such as complexity in taxonomic identification and lack of standardization condition their effectiveness. In addition, biogeographical and environmental factors play an essential role in the diversity of these species, being necessary for understanding and anticipating changes in aquatic environments.