The use of free-living marine nematodes as ecological indicators (EcoInds) of human impacts has increased greatly in Italy since 1990. This paper is a summary of the Italian research experience in the study of nematode assemblages of shallow water habitats, and provides a breakdown of the most important insights that have been obtained so far. Although nematodes are among the best candidates for the Ecological Quality (EcoQ) assessment in the benthic domain, many guidelines need to be developed and limits overcome. Italian research has certainly contributed to the achievement of this purpose with highly focused local investigations on the effects of specific stressors (riverine and sewage discharge, aquaculture, trace elements and hydrocarbons), but also to a large extent with wider analyses aimed at finding new and valuable tools for monitoring programs and useful nematode descriptors, in line with the European Directives. Currently, the Italian and foreign experiences in this field draw light to the fact that the best nematode descriptors for the EcoQ assessment are the taxonomic composition and life strategy traits. However, nematode worldwide research is running the risk of being marginalized because of the relatively narrow scope of most contemporary studies. Nematode researchers should work in a nematologist community in order to better promote the use of nematodes such as EcoInds in the era of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). In the present paper, possible steps to obtain this goal are brought to the reader’s attention and discussed.

Owing to technical problems and difficult taxonomic identification, meiofauna have been generally less studied than macrofauna. However, the role of meiofauna in marine ecosystem functioning, and their effective and rapid response to anthropogenic alterations and climatic changes have recently been acknowledged, leading to increasing scientific and applied interest. At present, systematic and biogeographic knowledge of the meiofauna of the Adriatic Sea is extremely heterogeneous, because most of the data are limited to a few taxa and the sampled areas are scattered, being located mainly in the coastal areas of the northern basin. Analysis of the composition and distribution of meiobenthic groups in the Adriatic Sea highlights the presence of several endemisms. Meiofauna also include bioindicator taxa, which allow assessment of the quality of marine sediments; this is particularly useful in systems characterised by the synergistic effect of different forms of anthropogenic impact, such as the Adriatic basin. Current knowledge about the ecology of the meiofauna and use of this component in applied ecological studies, along with the availability of a standardised protocol for the analysis of meiofaunal assemblages, allows us to recommend formal acknowledgement of the need to integrate information derived from the analysis of macrofauna with information derived from the study of meiofauna. Future research based on the simultaneous use of both of these benthic components will allow faster and more accurate evaluation of the response of coastal marine ecosystems to anthropogenic disturbance.