Programme: Scientific Research Fund

Environmental contamination by heavy metals poses a global environmental risk due to their toxicity, persistence, and
ability to bioaccumulate within ecosystems. The submitted project focuses on assessing the pollution levels of selected areas in Eastern Slovakia and Bulgaria, utilizing poikilothermic animals and their endohelminths as bioindicators. An innovative aspect of the project is the comparison of sensitivity between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem components. By including both fish (aquatic environment) and frogs (predominantly terrestrial environment in adulthood) and their parasites, the project aims to determine which of these animal groups and their specific endohelminths serve as a more effective and accurate indicator of environmental health. The research focuses on the bioaccumulation processes of heavy metals within the host-parasite system across contamination gradients in both countries. A key objective is to examine the impact of chemical pollution on the physiological condition (fitness) of hosts, helminthofauna diversity, and infection dynamics. Given the massive global decline in amphibians, it is essential to identify the factors contributing to this trend. For the first time, the project will comprehensively process the helminthofauna of frogs in the studied areas and assess the synergistic impact of pollutants and parasitic infections. The project results will provide new insights into the ecological status of the monitored sites, verify the suitability of intestinal parasites as bioindicators, and provide important data for practice in fisheries, agriculture, and the State Nature Conservancy. Furthermore, they will help identify potential risks to the population in burdened areas and propose measures for biodiversity protection under anthropogenic pressure.