1. of aquatic environmental pollution
Monitoring of cardiac activity of benthic invertebrates as a tool for bioindication
of aquatic environmental pollution
Sergey Kholodkevich1 ,2, Tatiana Kuznetsova1, Anton Kurakin1, Andrey Sharov1
1Institution of Russian Academy of Sciences Saint-Petersburg Scientific Research Center for Ecological Safety RAS;
2 Saint-Petersburg State University

2. Now in the majority of the countries steady interest to on-line systems of monitoring environmental state using benthic invertebrates is observed. Invertebrates have sufficient sensitivity for detection of chemical stress in the environment, e.g., aquatic ecosystems, including surficial, treated sewage and drinking water.

3. In our studies to assess ecosystem health (state) we use instrumental systems and technologies based on measurements of ecotoxicological biomarkers.
Ecotoxicological biomarker is a biochemical, cellular, physiological or behavioral variation that can be measured in tissue or body fluid samples or at the level of whole organisms that provides evidence of exposure to and/or effects of one or more pollutants (and/or radiation) (Depledge, 1993).
The biomarker concept, initially developed to form a basis for studies at the individual/population level, is extended to include community and ecosystem level studies. A strategy is outlined in which biomarkers might be used to assess chemical exposure and the cumulative, adverse effects of toxicants on biota in situ (Depledge et al., 1995).

4. Backgrounds of the method
Chronic pollution of the aquatic ecosystems is reflected on the target invertebrates species adaptive capacities. Health of organisms from sites different in anthropogenic pressure could be assessed by standardized tests, based on analysis of recovery time of registered physiological and/or behavioural characteristics of tested organisms after a short-term functional loading in the range of species tolerance. In the frame of our studies it was shown that mollusks and crustacean from clean sites differ from polluted areas by recovery time of their cardiac activity pattern and behaviour after standardized test-treatment (Turja et al., 2014; Kholodkevich et al, 2017).

5. In 2010 at Winberg-2010 Conference for bioindication of ecosystem state in order to obtain accurate monitoring data on chemical stress in the invertebrates we proposed to use 2 new biomarkers:
- heart rate recovery time (Trec, mins) after rapid change of medium salinity - test used as functional load ; - coefficient of HR variation (CV, %) over the group of tested organisms after removal of load.

6. Block-scheme of set up and automatic data processing
Block-scheme of set up and automatic data processing. FP – photoplethysmograph, ADC – analog-to-digital converter, PC – portable computer, CI – cardiac interval, DF – digital filter, DA – distribution analysis, HR – heart rate, SD – standard deviation. Main mathematical characteristics of cardiac interval sample (no less ).

7. Method in use
Diagnostic of functional state of mollusks was done by analysis of characteristics of cardiac activity measured by non-invasive fiber-optic method and by the use of hyper- or hypo-osmotic treatment.
Biomarker Тrecov:
Time of HR recovery to background level (after restoration of water salinity in tank)
1 – changes in HR of mollusk,
2 – background level of HR,
3 – recovery time of HR.

8. In the recent report the examples of application of suggested biomarkers
in organisms from different aquatoria:
-the Gulf of Finland (Kholodkevich et al., 2017),
- the Bothnian Sea (Turja et al., 2014),
- the Gulf of Riga and a few lakes in Latvia (Kurakin et al., 2012),
- the Belt Sea,
- the Boka Kotorska Bay (Adriatic Sea),
and in rivers of the Yaroslavl Region.

9. Examples of the caged mussels experiments in use
Assessment of biological effects of anthropogenic chemical stress:
Method was approbated in the EU-funded projects for ecosystem health assessment of the Baltic Sea sub-regions :
BONUS+BEAST Program (Biological Effects of Anthropogenic Chemical Stress: Tools for the Assessment of Ecosystem Health);
HYDROTOX (Water Toxicity Estimation)

10. Retrieving the cages with the exposed mussels on board of the R/V “ARANDA" of the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE,Helsinki) BEAST project ( )

11. Batches of mussels with the optic-fiber sensors on their
shells before deployment in cages at study sites

12. In laboratory testing physiological characteristics of the exposed mussels (Tallinn Bay expedition, 2014)

13. Integrated Biomarker Response
HR recovery time in mussels from stations S1, S2, G1, G2, located in the Gulf of Bothnia, Baltic Sea
Parameters: LMS, Phagocytosis, Condition index, LPO, AChE

14. Trec in Anodonta (n = 14) from different contaminated sites: river Yagorba, near Cherepovets and the Rybinsk Reservoir (upper River Volga), Borok

15. (Borok=reference site) Sharov et al., 2013
Reduction of HR of Anodonta by changing salinity during 1 h and returning of HR to the background level during the subsequent restore of water salinity
(Borok=reference site) Sharov et al., 2013

16. Recovery of HR of Anodonta (n=8) from contaminated site
(river Yagorba, near city Cherepovets)
Heart rate recovery time more than 5 hours

17. Heart rate recovery in Anodonta (n = 14) from different in pollution sites of the Eastern Gulf of Finland ( )

18. The objectives of the study in Sevastopol city (Crimea) was the evaluation of functional state (health) of the mussels Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam., living in these waters, assessed using the physiological biomarkers proposed by us and considered above.

19. Recently, we tested our technology for bioindication of ecological state (health) of coastal marine ecosystems (in 4 marine areas of Sevastopol city: the bays of Kazachy, Martynova and South, near its exit (at Grafskaya harbour) and in its end zone) on the basis of diagnostics of health of mussels living in them, occupying an important place in the normal functioning of their biocenosis.

20. The results of testing mussels from four water areas of the city of Sevastopol (Trec - the average time of restoration of the background heart rate after the removal of the functional test load, CVHR - the coefficient of variation of the heart rate for the tested group of mussels, measured from the time of reliable restoration of background heart rate).

21. The results of the testing of M
The results of the testing of M. galloprovincialis mussels from different water areas with the help of hypo-saline functional load
Sampling sites n
Trec, min
CVHR, %
Kazachy bay 9
35,3±2,8
Martynova bay 8
50,6±4,4 14
Grafskaya harbour
51,4±9,1 17
South bay 10
76,8±9,1 24
Note: n - number of tested mussels; Trec - averaged recovery time of the
background heart rate; The CVHR is the coefficient of variation of the heart rate for the
test group of mussels.

22. CONCLUSIONS
Monitoring of cardiac activity in benthic invertebrates is used as an effective tool in environmental pollution assessment.
Health of organisms from different in anthropogenic pressure sites can be assessed by the use of bioelectronic system and analysis heart rate recovery and behavior after a short-term functional load (salinity change).
The methodological approach and method proposed could help the authorities to discriminate sites different in ecological state and to make assess in express way.

23. Bio-approach Living organisms very well “know” their environment
Bio-approach  Living organisms very well “know” their environment. This “knowledge” is displaying in various way. It could be sharp changes of behavior in a case of accidental environmental toxic pollution, or slow change of physiological parameters as a result of absorption and accumulation of pollutants.
They know about their environment better than we
Procambarus clarkii
Achatina fulica
Littorina Littorea
Mytilus edulis
Carcinus maenas
Adriatic Sea crab
Mytilus galloprovincialis
Homarus gammarus

24. Thank you
for your attention!