Freshwater nematodes in environmental science.

Abstract

This paper reviews the use of freshwater nematodes in the field of ecotoxicology and applied ecology. It introduces the quality assessment of freshwater habitats and elucidates the suitability of nematodes in pollution studies. Via examples of studies using nematodes as test organisms for single species tests, and studies investigating nematode communities in unpolluted and polluted habitats, the different fields of application and various methods for assessing the quality of ecosystems are highlighted by focusing on studies performed in freshwater environments.