bioindicators
Living pollution detectors
Bioindicators are organisms whose presence, absence, or condition reveals something about environmental quality.
Certain lichens indicate air pollution; specific insects signal water purity; amphibian populations reflect ecosystem health.
Scientists use bioindicators to monitor contamination, habitat degradation, or climate shifts—the organisms function as living sensors: Mayfly larvae are bioindicators of stream health.
Fungal-algal composite organisms
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- amphibiansVertebrates with aquatic larvae
- diatomsSingle-celled silica algae
- mayfliesAquatic insects, extremely short-lived
caddisflies · stoneflies · frogs · algae · phytoplankton · zooplankton · benthos · dragonflies
Liquid metallic element
- cadmiumElement forty-eight
- arsenicToxic metalloid element
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
- PCBsBanned synthetic toxins
pesticides · contaminants · toxins · eutrophication · biomagnification · nitrates · phosphates · microplastics
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- remediationAct of correcting faults
lichens
Fungal-algal composite organisms
- musselsEdible marine bivalves
- amphibiansVertebrates with aquatic larvae
- diatomsSingle-celled silica algae
mayflies · caddisflies · stoneflies · frogs · algae · phytoplankton · zooplankton · benthos · dragonflies · tubifex
mercury
Liquid metallic element
PCBs · pesticides · contaminants · toxins · eutrophication · biomagnification · nitrates · phosphates · microplastics · radionuclides
bioaccumulation
Pollutant concentration in tissues
- samplingExtracting subset for study
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- restorationReturning something to condition
- remediationAct of correcting faults
bioindicatorschemical analysis
Identifying substance composition
spectroscopy · chromatography · mass spectrometry · titration · laboratory analysis