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Fish skin for water quality assessment.
Graziella Orso1, Roberta Imperatore1, Rosaria Sciarrillo1
1Department of Sciences and Technologies, University of Sannio, Via F. de Sanctis snc, 82100, Benevento, Italy.
Chemosphere
|May 21, 2025
Summary
Fish skin histology shows promise as a biomarker for assessing aquatic biodiversity and water quality. Different fish species exhibit unique responses, highlighting the need for species-specific biomonitoring approaches.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Aquatic Biology
- Histology
Background:
- Declining water quality due to pollution threatens aquatic biodiversity.
- Effective biomonitoring strategies are crucial for assessing ecosystem health.
- Fish skin histology presents a potential avenue for novel water quality assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate fish skin histology as a biomarker for monitoring river water quality.
- To investigate the relationship between fish skin parameters and Ecological Quality Class (EQC).
- To assess species-specific responses in biomonitoring programs.
Main Methods:
- Collected five fish species (Salmo trutta, Anguilla anguilla, Leuciscus cephalus, Barbus barbus, Rutilus rubilio) from 32 river sites.
- Analyzed Body Condition Factor (BCF), Epidermis Morphological Index (EMI), Mucous Cell Index (MCI), epidermis thickness, and mucous cell size.
- Correlated histological data with river site Ecological Quality Class (EQC).
Main Results:
- BCF showed varied correlations with EQC across species.
- EMI and MCI positively correlated with EQC in several species.
- Skin thickness and mucous cell size exhibited species-specific correlations with EQC.
Conclusions:
- Fish skin histology is a sensitive biomarker for water quality assessment.
- Integration into biomonitoring programs is recommended.
- Species-specific responses are critical for accurate water quality evaluation.
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