Ecosystems can be defined as a complex biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment (Google, 2018).
Eutrophication is a process by which water gains high concentrations of nutrients. Typically, the nutrients consist mainly of phosphate and nitrate which tend to promote large quantities of algae growth. The death and decomposition of algae, organic matter and other decomposing organisms deprive the water of oxygen, thus causing significant death of marine life like fish (Health, n.d.). Generally, Australian soils do not provide the significant amounts of nitrate and phosphorus needed for the standard growth of cattle or crops. Therefore, majority of Australian farmers employ the use of fertilisers that are rich
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Reefs are biodiverse areas that are especially unique to Australia and maintaining their health is vital for not only tourism, but also the survival of specific species and coral. As mentioned above; pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity, phosphate and turbidity are the main sources of nutrients causing apprehension for the dam and reef. The higher levels of electrical conductivity most likely generate from the salinity of the dam or the quantity of salt particles that are found in the water (Ryan, 2018). Salinity levels also effect the dissolved oxygen, and in this case, explain why it was recorded so low . If the dissolved oxygen levels are lower than the allowable range, as it is, fish or other marine life can suffer slower growth and development processes (Ryan, 2018). The amount of dissolved oxygen can also decrease due to temperature rises, aeration and decomposition. The pH levels are usually deterred if dissolved oxygen levels are down. Acidity levels in water are generally altered via pollution, constant run-off from farmland could contribute to that pollution. pH, acidic or basic, can be fatal to fish or marine life including algae – it can survive in the same ranges as fish (Anon., 2011).. Considering the pH levels were within acceptable range and the observations state that there was a lot of algae coverage, algae growth would …show more content…
The control of pH levels is vital to the survival of marine life and of course, the overall clarity of the water. Unfortunately, it would be quite difficult to maintain pH levels as the environment appears natural and therefore, not tame. As a possible natural solution, the water should be kept moving and the reduction of run-off from agricultural production via adopting a certain barrier between the farming and dam. This could mean constituting the placement of aerators or somehow lifting the dam so it sits above the ground. The movement of water will increase turbidity levels and although, this is not ideal it will potentially lessen the growth of algae. From the decreased algae growth, there will be more oxygen in the water for fish and other marine life to thrive off and less phosphorus, which then lowers the chance of eutrophication and the repeat of this unfortunate
Ecology is defined as a “system theory used to describe and analyze people and other living systems and their
Nitrogen and nitrates relate to Hypoxia via the process of eutrophication. Since Nitrogen is a limiting nutrient in most waters, the added input of nitrate causes massive growth in algae. The algae rapidly consume all available N, and once the nutrient is limited again, the alga dies en masse. As the alga decomposes, oxygen is depleted in the water. This lowers dangerously lowers the level of dissolved oxygen in the water, which harms living organisms in the area. Small organisms and organisms that are immobile or unable to escape low-oxygen areas are particularly vulnerable. Hypoxia and resulting “dead zones” are harmful to local fishing and shrimping industries and algal blooms hurt the tourism industry. Hypoxia has lead to a decrease of about 25% in the brown shrimp habitat, forcing shrimping operations further offshore. As the hypoxia issue continues to grow, negative human effects will only increase. Since nitrate runoff from ag. has been proven to be the dominant source of hypoxia, policies could be enacted to effectively deal with “point-source” pollution. This makes enacting environmental policy more easily adapted, possibly included in past policy such as the Clean Water Act.
Australia is a land of rather extreme weather conditions and widely diverse climates that force the vegetation living there to adapt in many interesting ways. Australia is the driest continent, and biomes such as grasslands and savannas are prime sources of widespread catastrophic fires. The plants that grow in the vast arid and semi-arid regions of Australia are prone to fires simply because of the desert climates that they grow in. High temperatures combined with low fuel moisture contents, little humidity and drying winds that sweep across the landscape encourage many of the plants living in these areas to burst into flames at fairly frequent intervals. Serotinous cones, protective bark, intricate underground recovery systems, unique seed distributions and even the necessity of fire for reproduction are just some of the amazing ways that the major plant families which grow in these fire-prone areas have learned to adapt to their environments.
Because of farm fertilizer, an excess quantity of nitrogen and phosphorus can be wash down becoming runoff into rivers. From this, marine algal blooms cause the water to turn green from the chlorophyll (Reed, 2011). Eutrophication then becomes a dilemma in the system causing either an increase of primary production or an expansion of algae. An enormous expansion of phytoplankton on the water’s surface is then established. At the same time the water column is also stratified, meaning things such as the temperature and salinity are not sync from top to bottom. The seasonal warm surface water has a low density forming a saltier layer above while the cooler and more dense water masses near the bottom layer is isolated from the top cutting off oxygen supply from the atmosphere (Overview, 2008).
The agriculture industries have affected the marine life due to eutrophication. Eutrophication occurs when human activity water because of the chemicals, nitrogen and phosphorus which run off into the water. Eutrophication results in algal bloom. An algal bloom forms when lots of nitrogen and phosphorus are set inside a body of water which results in an excess amount of algae in lakes, oceans, or streams. The waters can not take in a lot of algae because in can affect the habitat of the animals. It can also affect the population of the sea animals.
Leading scientists advise climate change will cause increases to the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. Rising sea levels pose a significant risk to coastal communities, while the world’s oceans could become too acidic to support coral reefs and other calcifying marine organisms. Coral reefs contain only six per cent of the area of the Great Barrier Reef, yet they provide critical habitat and food for numerous species in the ecosystem. However, climate change has already impacted coral reefs in the Great Barrier Reef as corals are very helpless against its potential impacts. Eight mass coral bleaching events has occurred since 1979, triggered by unusually high water temperatures. And because of this, zooxanthellae (photosynthetic algae) leave their tissues and corals will have no more colours hence ‘bleaching’. Without the zooxanthellae, the corals that remain gradually starve to death. Once the coral dies, fish and a multitude of other marine species are soon affected. Rising sea levels and more frequent and intense storm surges will see more erosion of Australia’s coastline, causing community and residential
Purpose: The purpose of this lab is to investigate the various components of different ecosystems in a smaller representation and study the conditions required for the ecosystem’s sustainability as well as the connections between
In conclusion, the Great Barrier Reef is in danger due to climate change issues such as ocean acidification, greenhouse gasses and many others previously discussed. In order to protect the reef, changes in society need to be made. The reef is there for people to enjoy, not destroy however due to the careless life style we lead, the Great Barrier Reef is suffering. Society needs to make changes now before the reef becomes damaged beyond repair.
Overall the reef receives runoff from at least 35 major catchments that drain 424,000 km2 of coastal Queensland and the amount of sediment flowing into the marine park has just about quadrupled over the past 150 years. There are significant effects from these run offs on the reef, especially the inshore areas close to the developed coasts, effects such as mangroves dying-back and increased amounts of overbearing algae on coral reefs. Good water quality is the reason why the Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful, diverse and complex ecosystems in the world and the decline in water quality can affect all the corals, seagrass and other important habitats as well as the marine life supported by those habitats. The decline in water quality would be detrimental to the tourism and fishing industries. As of right now the “Reef Water Quality Protection Plan”is in place. This plan aims to halt and reverse the decline in the quality of water flowing into the Great Barrier
Climate change is predicted to become a major threat to biodiversity in the 21st century, but accurate predictions and effective solutions have proved difficult to formulate(Terence P et al., 2011). Warmer and more acidic conditions inhibit coral calcification, carbonate precipitation, and submarine cementation; These effects are expected to reduce long-term rates of reef framework construction(Lauren et al., 2012).As global warming gradually becoming severe, it’s effects on the coral reefs also leads a critical concern about the diversity and quantity of coral reefs in Great Barrier. Great Barrier Reef is not only functioned as a beautiful landscape, but also an essential component of the coral reef ecosystem. Any change of could have a great
Just one look outside and you will see all kinds of ecosystems. For example the oak tree is a ecosystem to all kinds of amazing creatures in the world. It is home to birds and bugs that live in it’s bark and its branches, and to the squirrels who make their nests in the trunks. It also provides food for other animals to. When an acorn falls off the branch deer and mice eat them too fatten up for the winter. The squirrel keeps them in it’s mouth. Another ecosystem is the ocean. One big part of that ecosystem is the coral reef. It is home to many plants and animals. For example sea plants move back and forth in the current, and fish and other sea animals come to hide in it just incase an animal harms or hurts it. Cool fact is that one quarter of all the fish in the sea live in that ecosystem. The coral reef also attracts other animals like birds, whales, turtles and seals. There are many different kinds of ecosystems small or big they are still a really big part of
Some scenarios that have affected the reef are: coral bleaching, over fishing, and diminishing water quality. Coral bleaching affects the reef immensely, “Corals are resilient enough to recover from short periods of bleaching, but if the occurrence becomes more frequent and more harsh, the reef system will not have enough time to rebuild itself and will eventually die” (Top 3 Reasons Why the Reef Is Dying). A specific water temperature is essential in order for the coral to thrive. When the water temperature rises, the coral becomes disturbed, algal pigmentation is lost, and the coral will die. Essentially, the reef is entirely made of coral. Therefore, if coral bleaching continues to increase, the reef will become obsolete. Roughly 1,500 different species of fish live on the reef. The fish benefit the reef as much as it benefits them. Recently the amount of fish has begun to decrease, “When fishing or fishing practices are left unregulated, they create that imbalance in the system and can be a menace to the reef's survival” (Top 3 Reasons Why the Reef Is Dying). The food chain is being affected by careless fishing, but it doesn't just affect fish. Over-fishing causes a shift in the ecosystem and can easily affect the biodiversity and ecological balance. This causes changes in the marine food webs, physical damage by...
Farmers apply nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, manure, and potassium in the form of fertilizers to produce a better product for the consumers. When these sources exceed the plants needs or if these nutrients are applied before a heavy rain then the opportunity for these excess to wash into aquatic ecosystems exists.
Eutrophication is “the process by which a body of water acquires a high concentration of nutrients, especially phosphates and nitrates. These typically promote excessive growth of algae. As the algae die and decompose, high levels of organic matter and the decomposing organisms deplete the water available oxygen, cause the death of other organisms, such as fish. Eutrophication is a natu...
The branch of science that deals with how living things, including humans, are related to their surroundings is called ecology . The Earth supports some 5 million species of plants, animals, and microorganisms. These interact and influence their surroundings, forming a vast network of interrelated environmental systems called ecosystems. The arctic tundra is an ecosystem and so is a Brazilian rain forest. The islands of Hawaii are a relatively isolated ecosystem. If left undisturbed, natural environmental systems tend to achieve balance or stability among the various species of plants and animals. Complex ecosystems are able to compensate for changes caused by weather or intrusions from migrating animals and are therefore usually said to be more stable than simple ecosystems. A field of corn has only one dominant species, the corn plant, and is a very simple ecosystem. It is easily destroyed by drought, insects, disease, or overuse. A forest may remain relatively unchanged by weather that would destroy a nearby field of corn, because the forest is characterized by greater diversity of plants and animals. Its complexity gives it stability.