Ecotoxicology and ecosystems health.

There is mounting evidence that traditional investigations are no longer sufficient either to assess the ecological characteristics of a resource or to better understand the dynamics of an ecosystem. Reliable experimental data to be used for further investigation as well as for environmental corrective action are obtained using the traditional quantitative and qualitative biological methods. In fact, environmental health is connected with well functioning global and local ecological cycles, that also assure renewable, good quality natural resources. There is, therefore, a keen need for new, adequate techniques based on biological parameters that will allow for a better understanding and protection of the environment. The use of biological indexes and indicators and toxicology tests have been also prescribed by a recent Italian law on water protection. Differences between toxicology, environmental toxicology and ecotoxicology, often used as equivalent terms, are also analyzed. Furthermore a new classification is proposed and mapping of ecobiotic and toxicologic data on studying waters in river basins.