Biomarkers, Bioindicators, and Ecological Risk Assessment—A Brief Review and Evaluation

How do ecologists select and use indicator species to monitor ecological change? Insights from 14 years of publication in Ecological Indicators

“…Indicator Species (IS) are living organisms that are easily monitored and whose status 62 reflects or predicts the condition(s) of the environment where they are found (Landress, 1988;63 Cairns and Pratt, 1993; Bartell, 2006;Burger, 2006). The strategy of using IS is derived from the 64 hypothesis that cumulative effects of environmental changes are integrated over, or reflected by, 65 the current status or trends (short-or long-term patterns of change) in the diversity, abundance, 66 reproductive success, or growth rate of one or more species living in that environment (Cairns 67 and Pratt, 1993; Bartell, 2006;Burger, 2006 Given the pressing need to monitor community and ecosystem dynamics, answering these 111 questions will aid the development of effective tools for monitoring environmental change; 112 therefore we end with a discussion of an updated protocol for selecting and using IS in ecological research area, and the objective of the IS study.…”

“…The strategy of using IS is derived from the 64 hypothesis that cumulative effects of environmental changes are integrated over, or reflected by, 65 the current status or trends (short-or long-term patterns of change) in the diversity, abundance, 66 reproductive success, or growth rate of one or more species living in that environment (Cairns 67 and Pratt, 1993; Bartell, 2006;Burger, 2006 Given the pressing need to monitor community and ecosystem dynamics, answering these 111 questions will aid the development of effective tools for monitoring environmental change; 112 therefore we end with a discussion of an updated protocol for selecting and using IS in ecological research area, and the objective of the IS study. We also noted country or geographic region of 135 study and whether the research involved using indicators to assess the impacts of climatic change.…”

Potential of proteins and their expression level in marine phytoplankton (<i>Prymnesium parvum</i>) as biomarker of N, P and Fe conditions in aquatic systems

“…Biomarkers have been used in order to monitor the health of an environment or ecosystem and the ecological risks of pollutants [18]. Biomarkers can be measured at molecular, biochemical, cellular, or physiological levels of biological organization [39].…”

“…A bioindicators, which are defined as organisms or biological responses that reveal the presence of chemicals in the environment by producing typical symptoms or measurable responses, have been widely accepted for monitoring ecological risks of environmental pollutants [18]. Usually, biological species or group of species, whose function, population, or status can reveal what degree of ecosystem or environmental integrity is present, are used as bioindicator.…”

Pteris cretica as a Potential Biomarker and Hyperaccumulator in an Abandoned Mine Site, Southwest Japan

“…In ecological risk assessments, biomarkers offer solutions for toxicity assessment at different concentrations that avoid the limitations of extrapolation [3]. Following Depledge and Fossi [4], biomarkers can be viewed as an attempt to identify the biological response to changes in ecosystem structure and function.…”