ABSTRACT

In the two preceding chapters, effects upon populations of individual species were given particular attention. This is the approach usually followed when dealing with larger species. By contrast, microbiologists are particularly concerned with effects on communities and ecosystems, a subject area sometimes termed synecology. The measurement of effects of pollutants upon ecosystems has certain strengths and limitations. It has the advantage of being a holistic approach, which can take into account the overall functional state of an ecosystem (Freedman, 1989).