Ciliates as next-generation bioindicators in pollution-impacted freshwaters: Integrating community signatures with stress-response endpoints

Key Points

• Community signatures of ciliates reveal significant changes in pollution-impacted freshwater ecosystems, indicating environmental stress.
• The analysis shows that ciliates can effectively serve as bioindicators of ecosystem health and pollution levels.
• Assessment involves integrating community signatures with stress-response endpoints to evaluate freshwater ecosystems.
• Findings highlight the potential of ciliates in ecotoxicology, calling for their use in monitoring pollution impacts on aquatic systems.