Indicator Value Analysis

Indicator Value (IndVal) analysis, developed by Dufrene and Legendre (1997), identifies species that reliably indicate the presence of particular environmental conditions, habitat types, or community groups. The method quantifies the association between species and habitat, producing an indicator value that combines specificity (exclusive preference for certain habitats) and fidelity (consistent presence when the habitat occurs). IndVal is widely used in conservation to identify species of management concern, in habitat typing to discover indicator species, and in restoration ecology to assess whether recovered communities match reference conditions.