ABSTRACT
CONTENTS Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 493 Conceptual Ecological Models .............................................................................................................. 494 Methods.................................................................................................................................................. 494 Case Study ............................................................................................................................................. 495 Discussion .............................................................................................................................................. 497 References .............................................................................................................................................. 501
Indicator: An organism or ecological community so strictly associated with particular environmental conditions that its presence is indicative of those conditions (Merriam-Webster, 1994)
When restoration and management of ecosystems are successful, everyone wins and even failure provides an opportunity to learn how ecosystems work (Ewel, 1987). A frequently asked important question is: How can one determine success? Ecosystem restoration and management seek to repair, improve, or maintain a suite of desired environmental conditions for a specific ecosystem. Ecological monitoring is essential for evaluating ecosystem condition over time. Because it is not feasible to measure, much less monitor, all conditions of an estuarine ecosystem, scientists and managers heavily rely on the concept of ecological indicators to reveal information about their ecosystems (Szaro et al., 1999). As a result, monitoring programs focus on indicators that maximize information on ecosystem patterns and processes while minimizing cost and effort.
