| Summary: | Water pollution is a major environmental problem that has existed for decades, perhaps even
longer, and is becoming more and more serious, necessitating the need for efficient, accurate and if
possible inexpensive methods of monitoring and evaluating its impact on aquatic ecosystems. Algae,
as photosynthetic organisms, have gained considerable attention as reliable biological indicators of
water pollution due to their high sensitivity to environmental changes and their wide distribution in all
categories of aquatic habitats. The unique characteristics of algae, a wide variety of species and their
ubiquity in different types of water make them suitable candidates for such indicators. Algae respond
rapidly to changes in water chemistry, temperature and nutrient levels, making them sensitive to various
types of pollution including heavy metal pollution, organic pollutants and excess nutrients, various
methods and techniques can be used to measure and assess algae responses to water. Pollution,
determining both quantitatively and qualitatively the level of pollution. These techniques range from
traditional microscopy-based identification and enumeration to more advanced molecular methods such
as DNA barcoding and high-throughput sequencing. In addition, the use of bioindicators derived from
algal communities, such as algal and biotic indices, is discussed as a valuable tool in water quality
assessment. The potential of algae to detect and monitor pollution events, assess the ecological health
of water bodies, and evaluate the effectiveness of pollution control measures is high and incompletely
exploited in Romania and beyond. Factors such as natural variability, species-specific responses, and
the need for standardized protocols, emphasizing the importance of considering these factors when
interpreting algal data, are crucial issues and still need to be well established. Continuing research in this field is crucial for perfecting the use of algae as indicators and developing standardized protocols
at the international level (EU and not only) for their application in water quality assessment.
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