Aquatic Ecology

There are a number of reasons why aquatic ecology has been threatened; including non-native species in certain areas have made it difficult for the organisms that naturally live in that space to thrive is one of the biggest problems. For example, the zebra mussel population was introduced to the Great Lakes, but these organisms have few predators, which mean the population has grown in extremely large proportions. Females can produce about 30,000 eggs per year, and if the growth continues, municipal water can be affected, since the mussels will clog the pipes that provide water to cities. Overgrowth of the mussels can also result in beach closure.

Water pollution has also been the cause of the damages that have taken place when it comes to aquatic ecology. There have been a number of commercial fisheries that have had to be shut down as a result of water contamination; this means that many of the fish and sea creatures in the water are dying, which is altering the food chain significantly. The animals that are usually feeding on the smaller fish do not have anything to eat, which means their population is dwindling. The pollution is also causing the fish that humans eat to be more contaminated, which can cause food poisoning, as well as serious health problems.

Even the cruise ships that people use for vacations are causing problems in aquatic ecology. Many of these ships have navigation problems during the cruise, which affects the plants that live on the bottom of the sea. Sometimes the algae will get scraped up and stuck to the side of the boat, or it will float in the water away from its source of energy, which means it will lose its nutritional value for both animals and humans.

The aquatic ecology continues to affect humans due to drinking water as well. The pollution that humans have created as a result of dumping wastes into the sea, as well as the contamination of sea animals and plants affects human health severely. Even those who do not eat seafood are affected, since we all need water to bathe and cook.

If you want to know how you can do your part to save the aquatic ecosystem, and want to know more about aquatic ecology efforts in your area, check out sites like the Environment Canada homepage or www.epa.gov.