Biological Indicators of Pollution

Which pollutants are lichen sensitive to?

• sulphur dioxide

• nitrous oxides

• carbon dioxide

• carbon monoxide

What type of lichen would you expect to find growing only in very clean air

• crusty

• leafy

• bushy

A biological indicator of too much nitrate in water can be...

• cloudy water

• no algae present

• algal bloom

• dead fish

freshwater organisms are sensitive to levels of __________ in water

These organisms only survive in very clean water

• red tailed maggots and sludgeworms

• Mayfly larvae and stonefly nymph

• caddis fly larva and freshwater shrimps

• water louse

Acid rain can cause what to leach out of soils?

• Aluminium

• Magnesium

• Sodium

• Potassium

Acid rain damages ....

• limestone

• granite

• sandstone

• marble

Which of the following is most sensitive to changes in pH?

• Frogs

• Trout

• Crayfly

• Water snails

Which of the following is a reason why freshwater macroinvertebrates are used as indicator species?

• They are found in all aquatic habitats.

• They are often diffulcult to collect.

• None are capable of tolerating pollution.

• Often live for less than one week.

What is an indicator species?

• environmental indicators that offer a signal of the biological condition in a watershed

• any animal with a backbone and large enough to see without the aid of a microscope

• plants that have adapted to living in aquatic environments (saltwater or freshwater)

• microscopic, single-celled organisms that thrive in diverse environment