Abstract
Estuarine organisms can be considered three ways as bioindicators—first, as indicators of a defined set of environmental conditions, second, as indicators of contaminant loads on the system, and third, as indicators of the overall health of the system. By their very nature, estuarine organisms are eurytolerant and this, along with the various stratagems that have evolved to cope with the problems of life in estuaries results in a confusing picture for the estuarine manager. The recommended bioindicators for estuarine conditions are plankton; for contaminant loads, a range of species with different feeding types; and for system status, a eurytolerant species, such as the musselMytilus edulis for laboratory monitoring or a “target” species such as the clamMacoma balthica for field monitoring. However, it would be unwise to rely on a single indicator, and the recommendation is that the final choice, and preferably choices, be tailored to the desired goal.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literature cited
Atkin, D. andP. Birch. 1991. The application of biological monitoring to urban streams: A system designed for environmental health professionals, p. 127–134.In D. W. Jeffrey and B. Madden (eds.), Bioindicators and Environmental Management. Academic Press, London.
Bayne, B. L., K. R. Clarke, andJ. S. Gray. 1988. Biological Effects of Pollutants. Results of a Practical Workshop.Marine Ecology Progress Series 6:1–278.
Bayne, B. L., M. N. Moore, J. Widdows, D. R. Livingstone, andP. Salkeld. 1979. Measurement of the responses of individuals to environmental stress and pollution: Studies with bivalve mollusks.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 286:563–581.
Brennan, B. M. 1988. The geochemistry and bioavailability of heavy metals in coastal inshore sediments. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Dublin, Dublin.
Brock, V. 1987. Genetic relations between the bivalvesCardium (Cerastoderma) edule, C. lamarcki, andC. glaucum studied by means of crossed electrophoresis.Marine Biology 93:493–498.
Bryan, G. W. andP. E. Gibbs. 1983. Heavy metals in the Fal estuary, Cornwall: A study of long-term contamination by mining waste and its effects on estuarine organisms.Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Occasional Publications 2:1–112.
Bryan, G. W., W. J. Langston, andL. G. Hummerstone. 1980. The use of biological indicators of heavy metal contamination of estuaries.Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Occasional Publications 1:1–73.
Bryan, G. W., W. J. Langston, andL. G. Hummerstone. 1985. A guide to the assessment of heavy metal contamination in estuaries using biological indicators.Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom Occasional Publications 4:1–92.
Cameron, W. M. andD. W. Pritchard. 1963. Estuaries, p. 306–324.In M. N. Hill (ed.), The Sea, Vol. 2. John Wiley and Sons, New York.
Carriker, M. R. 1967. Ecology of estuarine benthic invertebrates: A perspective, p. 442–487.In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries, American Association for the Advancement of Science. Washington.
Deaton, L. E. andM. J. Greenberg. 1986. There is no horohaloclinicum.Estuaries 9:20–30.
Desprez, M., G. Bachelet, J. J. Beukema, J.-P. Ducrotoy, K. Essink, J. Marchand, H. Michaelis, B. Robineau, andJ. G. Wilson. 1991. Dynamique des populations deMacoma balthica dans les estuaires du Nord-Ouest de l’Europe. p. 159–165.In J.-P. Ducrotoy and M. Elliott (eds.), Estuaries and Coasts: Spatial and Temporal Intercomparisons. Olssen and Olssen, Fredensborg, Denmark.
Desprez, M., J.-P. Ducrotoy, andB. Sylvand. 1986. Fluctuations naturelles et evolution artificielle des biocoenoses macrozoobenthiques intertidales des trois estuaires des cotes francaises de la Manche.Hydrobiogia 142:249–270.
Donnelly, M. A. 1991. Clearance ofEscherischia coli by musselsMytilus edulis in the Boyne estuary. M.Sc. Thesis, University of Dublin, Dublin.
Eagle, R. A. andE. I. S. Rees. 1973. Indicator species—A case for caution.Marine Pollution Bulletin 4:25.
Gray, J. S. 1979. Pollution-induced changes in populations.Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B 286:545–561.
Goldberg, E. W., U. T. Bowen, J. W. Farrington, G. Harvey, J. H. Martin, P. L. Parker, R. W. Riseborough, W. Robertson, E. Schneider, andE. Gamble. 1978. The mussel watch.Environmental Conservation 5:1–25.
Jeffrey, D. W., J. G. Wilson, C. R. Harris, andD. L. Tomlinson. 1985. The application of two simple indices to Irish estuary pollution status, p. 147–162.In J. G. Wilson and W. Halcrow (eds.), Estuarine Management and Quality Assessment. Plenum Press, London.
Jeffries, H. P. 1967. Saturation of estuarine zooplankton by congeneric associates, p. 500–508.In G. H. Lauff (ed.), Estuaries. American Association for the Advancement of Science. Washington.
Khlebovich, V. V. 1968. Some peculiar features of the hydrological regime and the fauna of mesohaline waters.Marine Biology 2:47–49.
Kramer, K. L. M. andJ. Botterweg. 1991. Aquatic biological early warning systems: An overview, p. 95–126.In D. W. Jeffrey and B. Madden (eds.), Bioindicators and Environmental Management. Academic Press, London.
Lance, J. 1962. Effects of water of reduced salinity on the vertical migration of zooplankton.Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 42:131–154.
Lance, J. 1963. The salinity tolerance of some estuarine copepods.Limnology and Oceanography 8:440–449.
Long, E. R. andP. M. Chapman. 1985. A sediment quality triad: Measures of sediment contamination, toxicity, and infaunal community composition in Puget Sound.Marine Pollution Bulletin 16:405–415.
McLusky, D. S. 1989. The Estuarine Ecosystem, 2nd Ed. Chapman and Hall, London.
Milne, R. A., P. C. Nicholas, C. P. Pattinson, andW. Halcrow. 1986. The definition of effluent discharge consent conditions in complex estuarine environments.Water Science and Technology 18:267–276.
Moore, M. N., D. M. Lowe, D. R. Livingstone, andD. R. Dixon. 1986. Molecular and cellular indices of pollution effects and their use in environmental impact assessment.Water Science and Technology 18:223–232.
Muus, B. J. 1963. Some Danish Hydrobiidae with the description of a new species.Proceedings of the Malacological Society of London 35:131–138.
Pearson, T. H. andR. Rosenberg. 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment.Oceanography and Marine Biology Annual Review 4:481–520.
Phillips, D. J. H. 1980. Quantitative Aquatic Biological Indicators. Applied Science Publishers, Barking, Essex.
Remane, A. 1971. Ecology of brackish water, p. 1–210.In A. Remane and P. C. Schlieper (eds.), die Binnengewasser Band 25. Wiley Interscience, New York.
Russel, P. J. andG. H. Petersen. 1973. The use of ecological data in the elucidation of some shallow water EuropeanCardium species.Malacologia 14:223–232.
Soltanpour-Gargari, A. andS. Wellershaus. 1985.Eurytemora affinis—One year study of abundance and environmental factors.Verofflichten Meeresforschung Bremerhaven 20:183–198.
Soulsby, P. G., D. Lowthion, andM. C. M. Houston. 1985. The identification and evaluation of environmental quality in Southampton water, U.K., using limited manpower resources, p. 187–202.In J. G. Wilson and W. Halcrow (eds.), Estuarine Management and Quality Assessment. Plenum Press, London.
Spooner, G. M. 1947. The distribution ofGammarus species in estuaries. Part 1.Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 27:1–52.
Venice System 1959. Symposium on the classification of brackish waters, Venice, April 8–14, 1958.Archive for Limnology and Oceanography 11 (Supplement):1–248.
Wilson, J. G. 1988. Biology of Estuarine Management. Croom Helm, London.
Wilson, J. G. andP. B. Elkaim. 1991a. A comparison of the pollution status of twelve Irish and French estuaries, p. 317–322.In J.-P. Ducrotoy and M. Elliott (eds.), Estuaries and Coasts: Spatial and Temporal Intercomparisons. Olssen and Olssen, Fredensborg, Denmark.
Wilson, J. G. andB. Elkaim. 1991b. The toxicity of freshwater: Estuarine bioindicators, p. 311–322.In D. W. Jeffrey and B. Madden (eds.), Bioindicators and Environmental Management. Academic Press, London.
Wilson, J. G. andD. W. Jeffrey. 1987. Europe wide indices for monitoring estuarine pollution, p. 225–242.In D. H. S. Richardson (ed.), Biological Indicators of Pollution. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wilson, J.G. The role of bioindicators in estuarine management. Estuaries 17, 94–101 (1994). https://doi.org/10.2307/1352337
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/1352337