TY - JOUR
T1 - Aquatic zooremediation
T2 - deploying animals to remediate contaminated aquatic environments
AU - Gifford, Scott
AU - Dunstan, R. Hugh
AU - O'Connor, Wayne
AU - Koller, Claudia E.
AU - MacFarlane, Geoff R.
PY - 2007/2
Y1 - 2007/2
N2 - The ability of animals to act in a bioremediative capacity is not widely known. Animals are rarely considered for bioremediation initiatives owing to ethical or human health concerns. Nonetheless, specific examples in the literature reveal that some animal species are effective remediators of heavy metals, microbial contaminants, hydrocarbons, nutrients and persistent organic pollutants, particularly in an aquatic environment. Recent examples include deploying pearl oysters to remove metals and nutrients from aquatic ecosystems and the harvest of fish to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Baltic. It is probable that many animal taxa will possess attributes amenable to bioremediation. We introduce zoological equivalents of the definitions used in phytoremediation literature (zooextraction, zootransformation, zoostabilization and animal hyperaccumulation), to serve as useful benchmarks in the evaluation of candidate animal species for zooremediation initiatives, and propose that recognition of the concept of zooremediation would act to stimulate discussion and future research in this area.
AB - The ability of animals to act in a bioremediative capacity is not widely known. Animals are rarely considered for bioremediation initiatives owing to ethical or human health concerns. Nonetheless, specific examples in the literature reveal that some animal species are effective remediators of heavy metals, microbial contaminants, hydrocarbons, nutrients and persistent organic pollutants, particularly in an aquatic environment. Recent examples include deploying pearl oysters to remove metals and nutrients from aquatic ecosystems and the harvest of fish to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Baltic. It is probable that many animal taxa will possess attributes amenable to bioremediation. We introduce zoological equivalents of the definitions used in phytoremediation literature (zooextraction, zootransformation, zoostabilization and animal hyperaccumulation), to serve as useful benchmarks in the evaluation of candidate animal species for zooremediation initiatives, and propose that recognition of the concept of zooremediation would act to stimulate discussion and future research in this area.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33846260811&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tibtech.2006.12.002
DO - 10.1016/j.tibtech.2006.12.002
M3 - Review article
C2 - 17173992
AN - SCOPUS:33846260811
VL - 25
SP - 60
EP - 65
JO - Trends in Biotechnology
JF - Trends in Biotechnology
SN - 0167-7799
IS - 2
ER -