Course: ESST 2006 Pollution Biology

Week 5- Lab 1 – A review of techniques in pollution biology

Learning objective: To understand species population approaches used as indicators of pollution

and ecosystem health.

Assessment of the effects of pollutants in the environment relies on various tools ranging from
chemical specific to ecological indices. These tools are usually used to look at the levels of
contaminants in the environment (parameters such as PAHs, BOD/COD, trace metals, DO,
temperature) or access how pollutants may be changing the structure of the environment (species
diversity).

Section A: Classification of Pollutants in local rivers (30 marks)

What types of pollutants may affect water of local rivers?

(a) Provide a brief description of the pollutants and their effects. It may be useful for you to list
the major types (10 MARKS),

(b) Show the relationships between these pollutants and their impacts (please use illustrations
and/or diagrams to assist your discussion (20 MARKS).

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Section B: Calculating Environmental Quality using species population indices (30 marks)

Species diversity is usually proportional to the stability of the ecosystem: the greater the diversity
the greater the stability. The most stable communities have large numbers of species which are
fairly evenly distributed in good-sized populations. Pollution often reduces the number of species
(i.e., Species richness) and diversity (numbers of each different types of species) of the system,
while frequently creating an environment that is favourable to a few species (i.e., pollution-
tolerant forms). Thus, in a polluted stream, there are usually large numbers of a few species,
while in a clean stream there are moderate numbers of many species

1. Review the different types of environmental quality indices using species abundance
and/or diversity to reflect ecosystem health.

a. Shannon diversity index

b. Simpson’s Diversity index

c. Hilsenhoff index

d. Jaccardʼs index (No equation needed)

e. Taxonomic distinctness

f. Abundance/biomass curves

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2. What are the main advantages of each population index? (8 MARKS)

3. Please calculate the species richness and the Shannon diversity index with the data given.
Which is the better indicator of ecosystem health? Please explain the findings of your
calculated results. (20 MARKS).