Biocontrol of water quality: Multifunctional role of biota in water self-purification

The experimental data analysis, concepts, and generalizations in this article provide the fundamental elements of the qualitative theory of biocontrol of water quality in a systematized form. The theory covers water self-purification in freshwater and marine ecosystems. The theory is supported by the results of the author’s experimental studies of the effects exerted by some chemical pollutants including synthetic surfactants, detergents, and other xenobiotics onaquatic organisms. The theory provides a basis for remediation of polluted aquatic ecosystems including purification of water bodies and streams, and briefly present the qualitative theory of the self-purification mechanism of aquatic ecosystems, phytoremediation and other types of technologies.