This review examines the role of soil and sediment organisms as bioindicators in environmental pollution assessment. As fundamental elements of terrestrial ecosystems, soils harbour a rich and diverse biodiversity that plays a key role in regulating ecological processes. The use of bioindicators provides a sensitive and specific approach to detecting the effects of chemical, biological, and physical pollutants on soil health. The review presents a detailed analysis of the types of contaminants commonly encountered, the soil organisms used as bioindicators, and the criteria for selecting the most appropriate bioindicators. It also discusses assessment methods, including soil sampling and analysis techniques, and the biological and ecological indices used to measure contamination. Regional case studies illustrate the practical application of bioindicators for assessing soil quality in different geographical contexts. The review also highlights current challenges to the use of bioindicators, such as technical limitations and the variability of organism responses, and suggests perspectives for future research, including technological innovation and the integration of bioindicators into environmental policy.

1. Oaks, belonging to the Quercus genus, are extensively distributed in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, encompassing regions such as Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, Asia, a...

The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical diversity of Pinus nigra Arn. essential oils. The research was carried out on the needles collected from eighteen provenances of black pine grown in common garden located in West-Northern Tunisia and belonging to four different subspecies (Pinus nigra subsp. nigra, Pinus nigra subsp. salzmannii, Pinus nigra subsp. pallasiana, and Pinus nigra subsp. laricio). Essential oil yields ranged from 0.19 to 0.68. The obtained essential oils have been analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS apparatus. Twenty-three constituents accounting about 98 of total essential oil composition were identified. The essential oil compositions appeared to be very different according to their origin. Thus, five main essential oil chemotypes were identified in Pinus nigra plants: caryophyllene oxide, camphene, ß-caryophyllene, α-amorphene, and germacrene D. The chemotaxonomic value of the essential oil compositions was discussed in relation to the results of the multivariate statistical test, including a detailed survey of the available literature data.