Utilization of multiple organisms in a proposed early-warning biomonitoring system for real-time detection of contaminants: preliminary results and modeling

► Four aquatic biomonitoring organisms were used to detect atrazine and tributyltin. ► Principal component analysis integrated 18 variables into 2 principal components. ► Distinct responses to atrazine and tributyltin were observed after 6 h of exposure. ► A library of responses acted as a template to classify other response data sets. ► A multi-species biomonitoring system can detect and identify contaminants.