Indicators of Stress

Some Ecological Indicators of a Stressed Environment

Environmental science uses natural indicators to provide clues about the health of an environment. No single indicator can reveal the health of an environment, but when carefully examined together over time, a set of indicators can signal that your study site is under stress.

Stress often causes a change in the normal pattern of biotic distribution, or even the maintenance of an artificial pattern. It is important for teachers to give their students room to discover those breaks in the patterns.

When conducting their inventories, many classes have used the following as useful indicators of environmental stress on their sites. Do you detect such signs on your site, and if so, what can they tell you? Can your class identify any signs of stress that are not listed below?

Lichens

Loss of abundance and diversity _________

Discoloration (e.g. pink, white) _________

Loss of lichen center _________

Other _________

Higher Plants

Loss of abundance and diversity _________

Presence of non-native opportunistic species _________

Other _________

Growth

Stunted and/or deformed; one-sided growth _________

Fewer young plants _________

Smaller fruits _________

Other _________

Deciduous tree leaves

discolored, off-season, mottled, flecked, stippled, dusty, eaten, or enlarged _________

other_________

Conifers

fewer needles, white bands, or red needles _________

pine bark beetle _________

other _________

Signs of Contaminants

Water

Choked with plants; eutrophied _________

Very clear (acidified) _________

Other _________

Air

Non-natural odor _________

Limited visibility _________

Other _________

Soil

Discolored _________

Oily _________

Compacted _________

Eroded _________

Scant organic matter _________

Narrow topsoil _________

Other _________