Biomonitoring is the systematic collection of data from biotic components (organisms) of ecosystems in a time series. In this system, certain types are used as indicators. Indicators should be sensitive to changes in the (abiotic) factor to be studied (such as phosphate concentrations in lakes). These indicators are known how their population is affected by this factor. If then, in other ecosystems, the occurrence of a number of indicators is studied, then the status of the ecosystem can be determined relative to these factors relatively quickly. There is a need for biomonitoring in nature conservation, where one is interested in the effectiveness of different control measures. Biomonitoring is also used indirectly in paleology, trying to discover the status of these factors in the past, using the presence of indicators such as fossils in the sediment, to say something about the 'naturalness' of a specific ecosystem.
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