Open AccessTowards improved biomonitoring tools for an intensified sustainable multi‐use environment
Author(s) -
Meer Jan Roelof
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/1751-7915.12395
Subject(s) - biomonitoring , environmental monitoring , environmental science , environmental quality , robustness (evolution) , biochemical engineering , environmental resource management , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , environmental planning , business , ecology , biology , engineering , environmental engineering , biochemistry , gene
Summary The increasing use of our environment for multiple contrasting activities (e.g. fisheries, tourism) will have to be accompanied by improved monitoring of environmental quality, to avoid transboundary conflicts and ensure long‐term sustainable intensified usage. Biomonitoring approaches are appropriate for this, since they can integrate biological effects of environmental exposure rather than measure individual compound concentrations. Recent advances in biomonitoring concepts and tools focus on single‐cell assays and purified biological components that can be miniaturized and integrated in automated systems. Despite these advances, we are still very far from being able to deploy bioassays routinely in environmental monitoring, mostly because of lack of experience in interpreting responses and insufficient robustness of the biosensors for their environmental application. Further future challenges include broadening the spectrum of detectable compounds by biosensors, accelerate response times and combining sample pretreatment strategies with bioassays.