Biological markers of environmental contamination in marine ecosystems: BIOMAR project

Biochemical markers measured in marine animals can be investigated to impro ve their detection, quantification and to understand the significance of th eir exposure to contaminants in the marine environment. The main objectives of the BIOMAR project are the following: (i) Getting a better knowledge ab out biological mechanisms developed by marine organisms (mussel, fish, sea star, sea urchin) in coastal environments under the effects of contaminants , by in vitro and in vivo experiments; (ii) Investigation of the relationsh ip between biochemical markers measured in marine organisms and chemical po llutants (aromatic compounds, PCB, heavy metals) determined in the marine e nvironment (sediment, water and biota); (iii) Characterization of the crite ria and physiological/biochemical/cellular parameters for an efficient coas tal: contamination biomonitoring program based on biomarkers; and (iv) Auto mation of biomarker measurements for routine and onboard analysis. An overv iew of the result is presented from laboratory and field experiments with m ultimarker and multispecies approaches as the main objective.