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Marine Organisms as Indicators

Name: Marine Organisms as Indicators
Author: Dorothy F. Soule
ISBN: 9781461283348

by Dorothy F. Soule, Gary S. Kleppel

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Overview

This book takes an unusual approach to the subject of indicator organisms. Rather than provide lists or case studies of indicators of various marine systems, the volume is intended to place the concept of using organisms to "tell" us something about the environment within the context of modern marine sciences. It identifies the state-of-the-art in indicator organism utilization and shows how indicator techniques integrate with new technologies. This book will serve a broad audience and will serve to stimulate the dialogue between disciplines (e.g., environmental managers and biological oceanographers). Furthermore, the volume is designed to reach those who, sometimes without a great deal of training, must deal with biological variables in their work.

Synopsis

The need for a volume dealing with the concept of indicator organisms became evident during a symposium on the subject, organized by the present editors for the Southern California Academy of Sciences. Ques tions were posed about the appropriate uses of indicator organisms and the "rules" governing the application of the indicator concept to particular problems. For example, how does one distinguish true indicators from biological anomalies? What kinds of organisms can appropriately be associated with conditions and events at various scales in time and space? To what extent does one species represent other species in the same environmental setting? Can the indicator concept be applied to the context of modern sampling and analytical technology? How can anthropogenic perturbations be distinguished from natural phenomena? How can unlike matrices from differing data bases with differing scales best be matched? Such questions are especially pertinent in today's research environment. The use of indicator organisms, while certainly not new, is the corner stone for much scientific research. In the past two decades, indicator organisms have played increasingly important roles in the development and implementation of public policy. In particular, indicator organisms are being used to describe local environments and natural or anthropogenic perturbations to them, although there are pitfalls and problems associated with those usages. A growing number of nonbiologists, including physical oceanographers, find indicator organisms helpful, and sometimes essential, to their re search.