Making ecological indicators management ready: Assessing the specificity, sensitivity, and threshold response of ecological indicators

Application of Ecological Indicators*

Ecological indicators have widespread appeal to scientists, environmental managers, and the general public. Indicators have long been used to detect changes in nature, but the scientific maturation in indicator development primarily has occurred in the past 40 years. Currently, indicators are mainly used to assess the condition of the environment, as early-warning signals of ecological problems...

Are taxonomic distinctness measures compliant to other ecological indicators in assessing ecological status?

Assessing the ecological status, a concept implemented in the European Water Framework Directive [EC, 2000. Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of water policy PE-CONS 3639/1/00, p. 72], requires the application of methods capable of distinguishing different levels of ecological quality. The Average Taxono...

Ecological Indicators and Sustainability of the Lake Ontario Ecosystem

Challenges in the development and use of ecological indicators

Ecological indicators can be used to assess the condition of the environment, to provide an early warning signal of changes in the environment, or to diagnose the cause of an environmental problem. Ideally the suite of indicators should represent key information about structure, function, and composition of the ecological system. Three concerns hamper the use of ecological indicators as a resou...

Diatoms as Indicators of Water Quality and Ecological Status: Sampling, Analysis and Some Ecological Remarks

The algal species that develop in an area depend on different environmental factors: salinity, temperature, pH, water velocity, shading, depth, availability of substrata to grow on, water chemistry, etc. Thus, the species that can be found in a water body will inform about some characteristics of the water. Because algae are good indicators of the features of the water, they are used to monitor...