ChlorineFiles,Page5

Biological Testing tn the Environment

What are Bioindicators?

Bioindicators(by-oh-lN-dih-kay-tors)
are animalsand plantsthat are sensitive
to changesin their environment-they indicateor showthat changesare
takingplace. Differentbioindicatorsare sensitiveto differenttypesof q;
changes.Scientistsstudychangesin the populationsof animaland plant
bioindicatorsto seeif an environmentis healthv. E
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Usi n gWa te r F l e a s a s Bioindicator s
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Water fleas,a\soca\Ieddaphnia,are tiny animalsin the samefamily as 0)
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shrimp. Thereare waterfleasin almosteverybody of water. They eat algae
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and microscopicanimalsby sweepingthem into their mouthswith their
wavinglegs. Many kindsof f,rsheat waterfleas. 1)

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algae water .d
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Becausewaterfleasarevery sensitive,we canusethem asbioindicatorsto o
tel\ if there is a problem in the water. Smallamountsof chlorine can kill .2

waterfleas,so a drop in their numberstellsus theremay be chlorinepollu- o

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tion. A lackof waterfleascouldalsomean: l
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Not enoughdissolvedoxygenin the waterfor them to breathe. ;

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Waterthat is too acidicor too basic.
Unhealthyamountsof a chemicalother than chlorine.

Actinity
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