BIOINDICATORS
Stephen A. Bortone
Osprey Aquatic Sciences, Inc., Tampa, FL, USA
Synonyms
Biomonitors; Ecological indicators; Environmental
indicators
Definition
Bioindicators – biological attributes or characters of
estuarine-associated organisms that are objectively or subjectively assessed to evaluate the conditions, status, or
trends in the estuarine environment.
A broad range of biological attributes have been used as
bioindicators in estuaries (Bortone, 2005). These biological attributes or characteristics can be selected from all
levels of biological organization (with increasing order
of specificity) from the community, population, and individual levels of biological organization at the individual
level of organization; these finer aspects of biological
organization include bioenergetics, reproductive, pathological, histological, physiological, immunological,
genetic, biochemical, and molecular features. Generally,
attributes at the higher levels of organization are more ecologically relevant but are of low specificity and sensitivity.
Oppositely, attributes from lower levels of biological
organization are less relevant ecologically but are of high
specificity and sensitivity (Adams, 2002).
When selecting a biological indicator to assess estuaries, it is important to consider the time and space scale of
response that would be useful for a particular situation
(Bortone, 2008). For example, long-term (decadal), gradual changes in mean salinity within an estuary can be
assessed using species distributions, their abundance, or
community composition and diversity. Short-term
changes in salinity might be better assessed using the
physiological response (lethal dose or local movements)
of individuals within a species. More specifically, changes
to an individual’s ability to osmoregulate (blood chemistry) would be a more immediate biological indicator of
a situation of altered salinity. It is often preferable to measure several attributes in any given situation to serve as
a corroboration and to allow assessment at several time
and space units (Bortone et al., 2005).
Bioindicators can be either passive (e.g., observing
growth) or active (extraction of tissues for chemical analysis). Not mutually exclusively, bioindicators can be sensitive
to direct environmental stress (biochemical, physiological)
or indirect stressors such as environmental changes that
affect trophic and/or behavioral changes (Adams, 2005).
Bibliography
Adams, S. M., 2002. Biological indicators of aquatic ecosystem
stress: introduction and overview. In Adams, S. M. (ed.), Biological Indicators of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress. Bethesda: American
Fisheries Society, pp. 1–11.
Adams, S. M., 2005. Using multiple response bioindicators to
assess the health of estuarine ecosystems: an operational framework. In Bortone, S. A. (ed.), Estuarine Indicators. Boca Raton:
CRC Press, pp. 5–18.
Bortone, S. A. (ed.), 2005. Estuarine Indicators. Boca Raton: CRC
Press.
Bortone, S. A., 2008. An approach to establishing fish and fisheries
as in situ environmental indicators of natural hazards. In
McLaughlin, K. D. (ed.), Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards
on Fishery Ecosystems. American Fisheries Society, Symposium. Bethesda: American Fisheries Society. Vol.
64, pp. 345–355.
Bortone, S. A., Dunson, W. A., and Greenawalt, J. M., 2005.
Fishes as estuarine indicators. In Bortone, S. A. (ed.), Estuarine
Indicators. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 381–391.
BIOMAGNIFICATION
Monica Ferreira da Costa
1
, Helena do Amaral Kehrig
2 and
Isabel Maria Neto da Silva Moreira
3
1
Oceanography Department, Federal University of
Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
2
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB, Universidade
Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3
Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade
Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Definition
Biomagnification is the process where chemical compounds are transferred from food to an organism resulting
in higher concentrations compared with the source. It
occurs when a chemical element or compound (chemical
agent) then presents higher concentrations in the tissues
of organisms as they occupy higher levels in the
trophic web.
Fundamentals
Biomagnification is a phenomenon that occurs
across different levels of the same trophic web and can
involve whole populations and communities (Clark,
2001). It was first discovered when California brown pelicans were observed to have poor chick recruitment year
to year due to the presence of
P
DDT in their tissues
which is an endocrine disruptor interferring with Calcium fixation, and consequently egg shell’s thickness
and hardness. The
P
DDT was found to have originated
in their main food resource (anchovies) which had fed
plankton contaminated with
P
DDT from the Columbia
River estuary that crossed pesticide-sprinkled agricultural areas.
P
DDT increased exponentially up to the
female pelicans. Most organochlorines (e.g., PCBs) are
now recognized as capable of undergoing biomagnification in aquatic environments. This phenomenon is
closely related to polar food webs where large carnivores
quickly acquire elevated concentrations of organic
82
BIOINDICATORS
Stephen A. Bortone
Osprey Aquatic Sciences, Inc., Tampa, FL, USA
Synonyms
Biomonitors; Ecological indicators; Environmental
indicators
Definition
Bioindicators – biological attributes or characters of
estuarine-associated organisms that are objectively or subjectively assessed to evaluate the conditions, status, or
trends in the estuarine environment.
A broad range of biological attributes have been used as
bioindicators in estuaries (Bortone, 2005). These biological attributes or characteristics can be selected from all
levels of biological organization (with increasing order
of specificity) from the community, population, and individual levels of biological organization at the individual
level of organization; these finer aspects of biological
organization include bioenergetics, reproductive, pathological, histological, physiological, immunological,
genetic, biochemical, and molecular features. Generally,
attributes at the higher levels of organization are more ecologically relevant but are of low specificity and sensitivity.
Oppositely, attributes from lower levels of biological
organization are less relevant ecologically but are of high
specificity and sensitivity (Adams, 2002).
When selecting a biological indicator to assess estuaries, it is important to consider the time and space scale of
response that would be useful for a particular situation
(Bortone, 2008). For example, long-term (decadal), gradual changes in mean salinity within an estuary can be
assessed using species distributions, their abundance, or
community composition and diversity. Short-term
changes in salinity might be better assessed using the
physiological response (lethal dose or local movements)
of individuals within a species. More specifically, changes
to an individual’s ability to osmoregulate (blood chemistry) would be a more immediate biological indicator of
a situation of altered salinity. It is often preferable to measure several attributes in any given situation to serve as
a corroboration and to allow assessment at several time
and space units (Bortone et al., 2005).
Bioindicators can be either passive (e.g., observing
growth) or active (extraction of tissues for chemical analysis). Not mutually exclusively, bioindicators can be sensitive
to direct environmental stress (biochemical, physiological)
or indirect stressors such as environmental changes that
affect trophic and/or behavioral changes (Adams, 2005).
Bibliography
Adams, S. M., 2002. Biological indicators of aquatic ecosystem
stress: introduction and overview. In Adams, S. M. (ed.), Biological Indicators of Aquatic Ecosystem Stress. Bethesda: American
Fisheries Society, pp. 1–11.
Adams, S. M., 2005. Using multiple response bioindicators to
assess the health of estuarine ecosystems: an operational framework. In Bortone, S. A. (ed.), Estuarine Indicators. Boca Raton:
CRC Press, pp. 5–18.
Bortone, S. A. (ed.), 2005. Estuarine Indicators. Boca Raton: CRC
Press.
Bortone, S. A., 2008. An approach to establishing fish and fisheries
as in situ environmental indicators of natural hazards. In
McLaughlin, K. D. (ed.), Mitigating Impacts of Natural Hazards
on Fishery Ecosystems. American Fisheries Society, Symposium. Bethesda: American Fisheries Society. Vol.
64, pp. 345–355.
Bortone, S. A., Dunson, W. A., and Greenawalt, J. M., 2005.
Fishes as estuarine indicators. In Bortone, S. A. (ed.), Estuarine
Indicators. Boca Raton: CRC Press, pp. 381–391.
BIOMAGNIFICATION
Monica Ferreira da Costa
1
, Helena do Amaral Kehrig
2 and
Isabel Maria Neto da Silva Moreira
3
1
Oceanography Department, Federal University of
Pernambuco, Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil
2
Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, CBB, Universidade
Estadual do Norte Fluminense, Campos dos Goytacazes,
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
3
Departamento de Química, Pontifícia Universidade
Católica do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Definition
Biomagnification is the process where chemical compounds are transferred from food to an organism resulting
in higher concentrations compared with the source. It
occurs when a chemical element or compound (chemical
agent) then presents higher concentrations in the tissues
of organisms as they occupy higher levels in the
trophic web.
Fundamentals
Biomagnification is a phenomenon that occurs
across different levels of the same trophic web and can
involve whole populations and communities (Clark,
2001). It was first discovered when California brown pelicans were observed to have poor chick recruitment year
to year due to the presence of
P
DDT in their tissues
which is an endocrine disruptor interferring with Calcium fixation, and consequently egg shell’s thickness
and hardness. The
P
DDT was found to have originated
in their main food resource (anchovies) which had fed
plankton contaminated with
P
DDT from the Columbia
River estuary that crossed pesticide-sprinkled agricultural areas.
P
DDT increased exponentially up to the
female pelicans. Most organochlorines (e.g., PCBs) are
now recognized as capable of undergoing biomagnification in aquatic environments. This phenomenon is
closely related to polar food webs where large carnivores
quickly acquire elevated concentrations of organic
82
BIOINDICATORS