REIMAGINING FRESHWATER BIOMONITORING: INTEGRATING FUNCTIONAL, MOLECULAR, AND ECOLOGICAL SIGNALS FROM AQUATIC INSECTS

Abstract

Aquatic insects have historically been essential bioindicators in freshwater biomonitoring owing to their ecological sensitivity, specific habitat requirements, and crucial roles in ecosystem functioning. However, conventional taxonomy-based assessment frameworks are often inadequate in identifying cryptic biodiversity loss, functional disruption, and early-stage ecological instability in increasingly disturbed freshwater environments. This review repositions freshwater biomonitoring within a comprehensive framework that integrates functional, molecular, and ecological signals from aquatic insect communities. It emphasis functional trait-based approaches, including life-history, physiological, and trophic characteristics that reveal mechanistic responses to environmental stress, ecosystem resilience, and ecological reorganisation. Concurrently, advancements in molecular ecology, including DNA barcoding, environmental DNA (eDNA), metabarcoding, and emerging multi-omics technologies, are discussed as transformative tools for high-resolution biodiversity assessment and ecological diagnostics. Beyond species-level evaluation, the review synthesises ecological signals arising from trophic interactions, community assembly dynamics, ecological networks, and landscape-scale processes that collectively govern freshwater ecosystem integrity. Additionally, emerging integrative frameworks incorporating artificial intelligence, machine learning, remote sensing, and real-time environmental surveillance are further highlighted as critical components of next-generation biomonitoring. Collectively, these interdisciplinary advances support a transition from reactive biodiversity assessment toward predictive, ecosystem-centred freshwater monitoring capable of strengthening ecological forecasting, conservation prioritisation, and adaptive environmental management.