What is a Biological Indicator Species?

Question

What is a Biological Indicator Species?

Answer 1

Biological indicator species are unique environmental indicators as they offer a signal of the biological condition in a watershed. Using bioindicators as an early warning of pollution or degradation in an ecosystem can help sustain critical resources. While indicator species is a term that is often used, it is somewhat inaccurate. Indicators are actually groups or types of biological resources that can be used to assess environmental condition. Within each group, individual species can be used to calculate metrics such as percent Achnanthes minutissima (a diatom species) or groups of species (e.g., EPT taxa) or individual orders (e.g., Caddisfly larvae - Order Trichoptera) in an effort to assess water quality conditions.

The major groups include:

Fish

Invertebrates

Periphyton

Macrophytes

Marine environments also utilize biological indicators. While this site focuses predominately on freshwater resources, marine/tidal indicators are also quite important in sustaining biodiversity and preserving and restoring marine and estuarine resources.

Answer 2

An indicator species is any biological species that defines a trait or characteristic of the environment. For example, a species may delineate an ecoregion or indicate an environmental condition such as a disease outbreak, pollution, species competition or climate change. Indicator species can be among the most sensitive species in a region, acting as an early warning to monitoring biologists.

As an indicator species of a range, an environmental ecoregion is typically defined. The Chitymomma is an Agave that regionally helps define the Chihuahuan Desert of Northern Mexico and the SW United States. In Central America, the Guatemalan magnolia elevationally defines the limits of the cloud forests of mountains.

Answer 3

Kind of an environmental "canary in the coal mine."

From the first link below:

"Indicators are actually groups or types of biological resources that can be used to assess environmental condition."