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INDICATORS OF ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY FOR ESTUARIES
Citation:
Jordan, S J. AND V D. Engle. INDICATORS OF ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY FOR ESTUARIES. Presented at Estuarine Indicators Workshop, Sanibel Island, FL, 10/29-31/03.
Description:
Ideal indicators of ecosystem integrity integrate multiple structural and functional attributes of the ecosystem, have temporal and spatial dimensions, express real variability, are standardized with respect to reference conditions, societal goals, or both, and support predictions. Definitions of the practically synonymous terms "integrity" and "health" include the notions of balance, stability, sustainability, diversity, and productivity. Indicators can be designed to gauge the current status of an ecosystem, point the direction of change, provide management benchmarks, and predict the time needed to reach a goal. Conceptual models of whole-system dynamics show how indicators can relate ecosystem responses to exterior stresses in the absence of, or in combination with, detailed simulations. Examples of single-species, multiple-species, and whole-system indicators are presented in the context of conceptual models and predictions. Although indicators of ecosystem integrity usually will not have great precision, they can offer accurate and robust information about ecosystems over large temporal and spatial scales.