Fixed point indices of planar continuous maps

We characterize the sequences of fixed point indices $\{i(f^n, p)\}_{n\ge 1}$ of fixed points that are isolated as an invariant set and continuous maps in the plane. In particular, we prove that the sequence is periodic and $i(f^n, p) \le 1$ for every $n \ge 1$. This characterization allows us to compute effectively the Lefschetz zeta functions for a wide class of continuous maps in the 2-sphere, to obtain new results of existence of infinite periodic orbits inspired on previous articles of J. Franks and to give a partial answer to a problem of Shub about the growth of the number of periodic orbits of degree--$d$ maps in the 2-sphere.