Skip Navigation
Button that takes you to back to the home page. Button that takes you to the teacher pages. Button that takes you to the modules and activities page. Button that takes you to the related links page. Button that takes you to the references page. Button that takes you to the Problem Based Learning model page. Button that takes you to the glossary page.Image map of some Water Quality puzzle pieces. Please have someone assist you with this.

Button that takes you to the Overview page.
Button that takes you to the Macroinvertebrates page. Image that says Biological Assessment.
Button that takes you to the Chemical Assessment page.
Button that takes you to the Physical Assessment page.

Water Quality Assessment: Biological
Biological attributes of a waterway can be important indicators of water quality. Biological attributes refer to the number and types of organisms that inhabit a waterway. The poorer the quality of water, the fewer the number and types of organisms that can live in it.

Image of Justicia americana in Wheeling Creek.

Photo: Justicia americana in Wheeling Creek. Photo courtesy of Dr. Ben Stout.

When assessing water quality, it is also important to look at the quality of organisms that live in a waterway. Some species are more sensitive to chemical and physical changes in their habitat than other species. If species that tend to be sensitive to pollution are present in a waterway, then that waterway most likely has good water quality.

 

Overview ..|.. Biological Assessment ..|.. Chemical Assessment ..|.. Physical Assessment.
   Glossary  .|.  Related Links  .|.. References ..|.. PBL Model  .|

  Home ..|.. Teacher Pages ..|.. Modules & Activities  

Macroinvertebrates

Button that takes you back to the Water Quality main page.

HTML code by Chris Kreger
Maintained by ETE Team
Last updated November 10, 2004

Some images © 2004 www.clipart.com

Privacy Statement and Copyright © 1997-2004 by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future. All rights reserved.

Center for Educational Technologies, Circuit Board/Apple graphic logo, and COTF Classroom of the Future logo are registered trademarks of Wheeling Jesuit University.