Bioindicators: A Review on Faunal Indicators

Every living organism within a biological system offers insights into the health of its environment. For instance, plankton exhibit rapid responses to environmental changes and serve as crucial biomarkers for evaluating water quality and pollution levels. Bioindicators encompass biological processes, species, or communities utilized to gauge environmental quality and its fluctuations over time. Alterations in the environment are often attributed to human-induced disturbances such as pollution and land use changes, or natural stressors like droughts and late spring freezes, with primary emphasis placed on human-induced stressors in bioindicator research. They offer insights into intricate ecological processes, serve as early warning signals, aid in diagnosing ecological issues, and are vital tools for conservation planning and management. This discussion focuses solely on animal indicators, excluding plants and microbial species, and refrains from including examples derived from toxicological studies. It provides a review of organism-level indications, where the presence or absence of certain species guides further investigations prompted by inquiries.