Mediterranean coastal lagoons are increasingly affected by several threats, all concurrently leading to habitat degradation and loss. Methods based on fish for the assessment of the ecological status are under implementation for the Water Framework Directive requirements, to assess the overall quality of coastal lagoons. Complementary tools based on the use of single fish species as biological indicators could be useful as early detection methods of anthropogenic impacts. The analysis of skeletal anomalies in the big-scale sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, from nine Mediterranean coastal lagoons in Italy was carried out. Along with the morphological examination of fish, the environmental status of the nine lagoons was evaluated using a method based on expert judgement, by selecting and quantifying several environmental descriptors of direct and indirect human pressures acting on lagoon ecosystems. The average individual anomaly load and the frequency of individuals with severe anomalies allow to discriminate big-scale sand smelt samples on the basis of the site and of its quality status. Furthermore, a relationship between skeletal anomalies and the environmental quality of specific lagoons, driven by the anthropogenic pressures acting on them, was found. These findings support the potentiality of skeletal anomalies monitoring in big-scale sand smelt as a tool for early detection of anthropogenic impacts in coastal lagoons of the Mediterranean region.

中文翻译：

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监测大型砂熔岩（Atherina boyeri）中的骨骼异常，作为早期发现沿海泻湖人类压力影响的潜在补充工具

地中海沿海泻湖越来越受到多种威胁的影响，所有这些威胁同时导致栖息地退化和丧失。根据《水框架指令》的要求，正在实施基于鱼类的生态状况评估方法，以评估沿海泻湖的总体质量。基于单一鱼类物种作为生物指标的补充工具可以作为人为影响的早期发现方法。大型砂冶炼厂Atherina boyeri的骨骼异常分析在意大利的九个地中海沿海泻湖中进行。除了对鱼类进行形态学检查外，还使用一种基于专家判断的方法，通过选择和量化作用于泻湖生态系统的直接和间接人类压力的几种环境指标，评估了九个泻湖的环境状况。平均个体异常负荷和严重异常个体的频率可以根据站点及其质量状况来区分大型沙熔样品。此外，在人为压力作用下，发现了骨骼异常与特定泻湖的环境质量之间的关系。