Monitoring environmental pollution with bioindicators

Monitoring environmental pollution represents a major challenge for public health, preventive medicine and sustainable development. Several tools are available for water safety assessment. In particular, bioindicators are largely used to verify health quality of aquatic environments. In addition to microbiological analysis, the Extended Biotic Index represents a relevant tool, based on the identification of several metazoan taxa. The oligochaete, Tubifex tubifex is involved in biodegradation processes and is characterized by an elevated tolerance to pollutants, hypoxia and it has been described as bioaccumulator of heavy metals. Genetic diversity observed in Tubifex communities around the world has been associated to different degrees of pollution. We performed several sampling in uncontaminated sites from Central Italy, collecting water and sludge. Several Apennine springs were selected for this study. We report data on chemical investigations on heavy metals, and Tubifex genetic lineage analysis. Mass spectrometry confirmed low levels of pollutants in water samples and in Tubifex tissues from these sites with reduced anthropic presence. The sequencing of mitochondrial 16S rDNA showed a low intra-species biodiversity, with a high predominance of a specific genetic lineage, only previously described in samples from protected area such as National parks. The comparison with published genetic data from individuals collected by polluted rivers, suggested a strong correlation between lineage composition of Tubifex populations and the degree of pollution, with special regards to heavy metals. Due to the association between metals such as Cadmium and the development of cancer, it is particularly important to develop tools for analysis of bioindicators associable to different degree of environmental pollution.