A number of research have talked about parasitic crustaceans as bioindicators of pollution, however, there has not been mention of the use of these organisms in cleaning up the metals and/or pollutants...
I wish to know if there is a possibility that these organisms (Isopods, copepods, branchurian) can be used to reduce pollution in our aquatic ecosystem.
Dear Precious,
To be indicator of organic or toxic pollution doesn't mean immediate high activity in water purification. The species can be very rare or scarcely and spotted distributed. About parasitic species: the effect of using of them as bio-indicative species is of limited profit as environment for them is other species (a host). If it is obligatory endo-parasite (as well intracellular) that living all life inside the host, so indicative ability of env is transformed by the host. Ectoparasites or facultative parasites (only some stages of development are parasitic) can be used like supplement species but their zones of indication are enough wide, so they are poor indicators!
I can recommend you to reed our common investigation with Prof. Ovcharenko from Poland about influence of different factors of environment on intracellular parasites
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/286928792_Effect_of_Habitat_on_Intracellular_Parasites_of_Aquatic_Organisms
So, like Conclusion - Parasites are not useful as bioindicative species!
Prof. Andrey Rovalchuk
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