Ecological and molecular analyses of macrophyte ecosystems for the assessment of the environmental health of coastal and transitional areas

Degradation of coastal and transitional water quality by anthropogenic contaminants is an important concern worldwide. Identifying the patterns of biological response to contamination in the aquatic environment is essential for reliable evaluation of ecosystem health. The present study aims to use macrophytes to assess the ecological health status for marine coastal and transitional environments employing an integrated approach based on ecological indices and biomarkers as well as macrophyte associated microbial communities. The results obtained by the application of Macrophyte Quality index, oxidative stress biomarker and the diversity of macroalgal associated microbial community indicated that the ecological health status was affected by both metal contamination and trophic conditions.