Biomonitoring

Bioindication
Bioindication is a process of detection of
ecologically significant natural and anthropogenic
stresses on the basis of organisms’ responses
directly in the habitat.
Bioindicator is a living organism that is used in
estimation of the conditions of the environment.
 STRESS is organism’s reaction on
anthropogenic factors which exceed
Optimum zone the optimum zone.
(Comfort)

Influence of the anthropogenic

Stress stressor

Pessimum

organism

Detection of the
reaction by
Tolerance zone
bioindication
Classifications of organisms due to different
reaction on the anthropogenic stress
- insensitive

-sensitive bioindicator

Classification of organisms due to stress reaction

- specific
- nonspecific
Anthropogenic factors Natural factors
(heavy metals) (lack of microelements)

Chlorosis
Anthropogenic factors Natural factors
(radioactivity) (virus)
 The main approach in the estimation of the
level of deviation from the norm by
bioindication
1. Comparison with the parameters of a
biological organism (reference) which are not under
stress of anthropogenic factors
2. Exclusion of anthropogenic factors due to
experiment’s conditions
3. Comparisons with biological objects from the
past
4. Comparisons with the gradient of
anthropogenic impact depletion
5. Comparisons with standards
The main task of bioindication…

…is to create methods and criterion that can

show the level of anthropogenic impact and
diagnose early damages in the most sensible
components of biocoenosis
Uniqueness of bioindication
• Factors can’t be estimate (reconstruction of climate
changes);
• Factors are difficult to estimate (pesticides decompose
very quickly);
• Cheap and easy;
• Reaction on little anthropogenic load which is difficult to
detect by gadgets
• Can help to discover factors which are not estimated.
 Levels of bioindication
Anthropogenic impact

molecular-
genetic
biomarkers

Organismic
bioindicators

Population-
specific
Bioindicators

Holocoenotic
 Requirements for bioindicators
• To be typical for the conditions;
• To have high numbers in the studying ecotope;
• To dwell in this place for a number of years, which
makes it possible to trace pollution dynamic;
• To live in conditions that are suitable for sampling;
• To make it possible to carry out direct analysis without
pre-concentration of samples;
• To be characterized by positive correlation between
pollutant concentration in the organism and object
(factor) of investigation
• To be used it in the natural conditions
• To have a short period of ontogenesis
 Plants-bioindicators

Urtica dioica and Rubus idaeus shows that soil contains high
concentrations of nitrogen
Festuca ovina shows that soil contains high
concentrations of lead
Víola trícolor shows that soil contains high concentrations of zinc
Silene vulgaris shows that soil contains high concentrations of
cuprum and cobalt
Pinus sylvestris – atmosphere pollution

Chlorosis is a destruction of chlorophyll

 Atmosphere pollution

А – no damage, Б – damages due to

atmosphere pollution
Necrosis
Skewness
 Animals-bioindicators
Advantages Disadvantages

• Consumers =>
accumulation of pollution; • Difficult to catch;
• Active metabolism => • Expencive experiments.
quick reaction on the
factor;
• physiological closeness
to human
Parametrs
• Morphological and anatomical
(disfigurement);
• Physiological and biochemical
(breathing,);
• Behavioral
Sorex araneus and Talpa europaea
Ursus arctos and Alces alces
Clethrionomys glareolus and Clethrionomys rubilus
 Microorganisms-bioindicators

• Microbial count – number of aerobic saprophytic

organisms in 1 ml of water. According to State Standard
microbial count must be less than 100 in tap water.

• Coli titer – minimal volume of water (ml) that contains 1

Escherichia coli

• Coli index – the number of

Escherichia coli in 1000 ml
 Solidity of indicator is characterized by two parameters:
1. Reliability is association between bioindicator and the object of
bioindication (factor).
D = N1/N2
N1 – number of events (areas) when bioindicator and object meet
N2 – number of events (areas) when bioindicator and object don’t meet
2. Importance factor shows how often indicator meets with object (%)
Importance factor = N2 / N1
N1 – number of events (areas) when bioindicator and object meet
N2 – number of events (areas) when object is present

Indicator Importance factor, % Reliability

Reliable >90 >9
Satisfactory 75-90 3-9
Doubtful 60-75 1,5-3
Indication is
impossible <60 <1,5
 Home task
• Prepare for the exam
• Choose an living organism and find out
how it is used in bioindication on different
levels