Shellfish as Biosensors in Online Monitoring of Aquatic Ecosystems: A Review of Russian Studies

Abstract

The use of biological objects in monitoring the state of the environment and the changes caused by the impact of environmental pollution on marine and fresh waters is a promising tool due to a lower cost in comparison to traditional monitoring and the ability to receive immediate information about the ecosystem status. In this review, we summarize the biological information about shellfish biomonitors and the results of studies focused on the development and use of the bioindicator species in early warning systems in Russia. Since the mid-1980s, Russian specialists have developed online biomonitoring systems; as in the rest of world, there are two main approaches that are currently applied to study the physiological status of potential biosensor shellfish species and to monitor freshwater and marine systems: valvometry (registration of gaping activity in bivalve mollusks) and photoplethysmography (registration of cardiac activity in mollusks and crustaceans). Valve movement responses to stressors such as abnormal conditions and pollutants include the closure of shell valves for a long period, decrease in the average distance between valves, rapid shell opening, and higher closing frequency. Cardiac activity reactions of shellfish to stress factors include rapid increases in heart rate and stress index, higher variability in heart rate than under normal conditions, and longer periods required for heart rate recovery after stress. The most common bioindicators used to monitor environmental disturbances in marine ecosystems are blue mussels, Iceland scallops, and red king crabs in cold-water habitats and Black Sea mussels in warmer waters as well as freshwater mussels and crayfish in fresh waters.

The Impact of Sea Ice Loss on Benthic Communities of the Makarov Strait (Northeastern Barents Sea)

“…The first, transformed Barents Sea water (BSW), is primarily composed of Atlantic water (AW) which has undergone heat loss. This water mass was detected at eight sampling stations ( Stations 4,5,6,10,11,12,15,and 20) characterized by negative water temperatures and a salinity of 34.9 psu. The second water mass, Arctic water (ArW), was observed at Station 17, with lower temperature and salinity levels compared to the BSW.…”

“…These benthic organisms are closely associated with large-scale water column processes that dictate the availability of food resources reaching the underlying sediments [8]. As the community patterns of these organisms are directly influenced by the exportation of organic matter from the overlying water column, benthic communities serve as long-term integrators of water column processes that can reflect different hydrographic regimes [9][10][11][12].…”

Amino Acid Composition in Different Tissues of Iceland Scallop from the Barents Sea

“…Of these, scallops are often considered most promising in terms of potential for fishery exploitation and aquaculture [16,17]. Scallops are also considered reliable biosensors of environmental conditions [18]. The commercial success of pectinid fisheries and aquaculture is attributable to the global appreciation of the gastronomic qualities of the striated adductor muscle of these bivalves.…”

Helminth Communities of Common Fish Species in the Coastal Zone off Crimea: Species Composition, Diversity, and Structure

“…Despite the extensive literature on surveys of fish parasites and taxonomic studies (see, e.g., an overview in [ 66 ]), the structure of infracommunities and component communities of fish parasites in the Azov–Black Sea region has not yet been well-described, although local habitats are diverse and complex and provide excellent conditions for spawning and juvenile fish and shellfish survival and development, supporting abundant populations of commercially important species [ 67 , 68 ]. Pankov [ 69 ] assessed diversity indices of helminths in four species of the family Mugilidae from Bulgarian waters of the Black Sea.…”