Biomonitoring Technologies Used in Aquatic Ecosystems: A Systematic and Trend Analysis

Abstract

Aquatic biomonitoring technologies are widely used to detect and identify hazardous chemicals and pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. With the advancement of technology, this study focuses on providing a review of current trends and challenges related to aquatic biomonitoring. In particular, the advancements made in the designs of biosensors and Biological Early Warning Systems (BEWS) were presented. This includes biosensors that utilize luminescent bacteria, algae, living and/or microbial fuel cells. For BEWS, those that use fishes, daphnids, and bivalves as sentinel organisms were discussed. It was shown that biosensors and BEWS show promising potential for monitoring water quality of aquatic ecosystems as they allow for real-time monitoring while performing comparably to traditional analytical methods. Despite the various research done, there are still some issues and challenges concerning aquatic biomonitoring. BEWS and biosensors were shown to have their advantages and disadvantages. Biosensors can quantify the tested parameters but are analyte-specific and often need to be replaced upon detection. On the other hand, BEWS allow for continuous real-time monitoring but are often site-specific and require an established baseline data of the water quality parameters. To combat the issues, this study proposes designing a BEWS using bivalves for early detection and utilizing analytical methods to confirm changes in water quality. It is also recommended that further research be done to determine levels of toxicity, capacity to meet needs, and water quality baseline data for local aquatic ecosystems.