Freshwater Algae as Biological Indicators of Water Quality and Pollution: A Comprehensive Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59436/jsiane.v5i4.29.2583-2093Keywords:
Freshwater Algae, Biological Indicators, Water Quality, Pollution, Comprehensive Review, cyanobacterial bloomsAbstract
The continuous decline in global freshwater quality necessitates robust, bio-integrative monitoring systems. Chemical analyses, while precise, only offer a snapshot of water conditions and often fail to capture the cumulative effects of anthropogenic stress. Freshwater algae, encompassing diverse groups such as diatoms, chlorophytes, and cyanobacteria, serve as exceptional bioindicators due to their rapid reproduction, sensitivity to physicochemical alterations, and foundational role in aquatic food webs. This review provides a comprehensive synthesis of the current scope and methodologies surrounding the use of algal communities for biological water assessment. We explore the mechanisms of eutrophication, examining how nutrient enrichment selectively promotes filamentous proliferations and toxic cyanobacterial blooms. Key biological indices, including Palmer’s Algal Pollution Index and multimetric diatom analyses, are evaluated alongside emerging network-based approaches. Additionally, we discuss the hydrodynamic factors regulating algal growth in complex lentic and lotic systems, and compare algal metrics against established macroinvertebrate indices. The findings underscore the indispensable utility of microalgae and benthic forms in monitoring aquatic ecosystem health, informing conservation strategies, and guiding environmental policy.
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