CNR conducts experiments with mesocosms at the Lake Kierskie (Poland)

The SYMBIOREM CNR team recently travelled to the Lake Kierskie, located within the city limits of Poznań (Poland). This activity is linked to the project’s objective of developing bioremediation systems that are able to remove different types of pollutants and to increase species’ enrichment of aquatic ecosystems.

One of the technologies that is being tested by CNR, both in the laboratory and on field, is the installation of mesocosms, separate tanks that allow to examine the natural environment under controlled conditions. Mesocosms were installed at eutrophic Lake Kierskie to conduct experiments using mussels and to analyse their potential as bioremediation elements, also in combination with other nature-based technologies in the future.

Freshwater mussels are among the aquatic organisms that can contribute to the self-purification of water. They are particularly valuable thanks to their ability to filter large volumes of water, remove suspended particles (phytoplankton, bacteria, viruses), and contribute to the capture and/or transformation of pollutants, such as heavy metals, pesticides, microplastics, and pharmaceuticals. There is evidence that freshwater mussels improve the transparency and other physical properties of water quality, with clear benefits for humans (e.g. in terms of health or recreational activities). This explains the growing interest in their use as a bioremediation tool in the case of eutrophication and contamination of water bodies.

The realization of the experiments with mesocosms at the Lake Kierskie has gathered the attention of the local community, particularly the fishermen who go daily to the lake. To increase the visibility of the SYMBIOREM project and its objectives, an informational poster was installed on the structure that supports the mesocosms.

In addition to this, Nicoletta Riccardi (CNR – Water Research Institute) was interviewed on the local magazine of the fishermen’s association. Check it out here (in Polish).

Together with Sandra Kaźmierczak, Riccardi also presented the SYMBIOREM results of the lab and mesocosms experiments about mussels’ efficiency as a bioremediation tool for eutrophic water, at the second European Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society Meeting, held in Karlstad, Sweden between the 16 and 20 of September, a major sectorial conference that brings together international experts in biology and conservation of freshwater mollusks, to create a network of knowledge with the final goal of develop collaborative projects and eventually global directives for the protection and conservation of this important faunistic group.