Applications of biological tools or biomarkers in aquatic biota: A case study of the Tamar estuary, South West England.

Lorna J. Dallas, Awadhesh N. Jha*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Biological systems are the ultimate recipients of pollutant-induced damage. Consequently, our traditional reliance on analytical tools is not enough to assess ecosystem health. Biological responses or biomarkers are therefore also considered to be important tools for environmental hazard and risk assessments. Due to historical mining, other anthropogenic activities, and its conservational importance (e.g. NATURA sites, SACs), the Tamar estuary in South West England is an ideal environment in which to examine applications of such biological tools. This review presents a thorough and critical evaluation of the different biological tools used in the Tamar estuary thus far, while also discussing future perspectives for biomarker studies from a global perspective. In particular, we focus on the challenges which hinder applications of biological tools from being more readily incorporated into regulatory frameworks, with the aim of enabling both policymakers and primary stakeholders to maximise the environmental relevance and regulatory usefulness of such tools.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)618-633
Number of pages0
JournalMar Pollut Bull
Volume95
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2015

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Biomonitoring
  • Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)
  • Tamar estuary
  • Animals
  • Aquatic Organisms
  • Biota
  • Ecosystem
  • England
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Estuaries
  • Water Pollutants
  • Chemical

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Applications of biological tools or biomarkers in aquatic biota: A case study of the Tamar estuary, South West England.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this