Indicator+species

What is an indicator species?


One of the critical tasks of conservationists is to understand how a species has evolved in response to its environment, and how that environment is changing. Change may be occurring from many stresses like global climate change or local human activities like residential development. Tiger beetles, like the Puritan Tiger beetle, are fascinating subjects for biologists since they have adapted so specifically to localized environments that their status typically reflects the overall health of their ecosystem. Scientists refer to these types of organisms as being **indicator species**. The Puritan tiger beetle is an indicator species of the overall health of the Chesapeake Bay coastal ecosystem.

Indicator species belong to a larger group described by conservation biologists as **focal species**. These species provide an incentive to protect the area containing their habitat, and the biological community that shares it. In other words, protecting the Puritan tiger beetle ultimately helps to preserve the **biodiversity** of its entire community.