Welcome to Ecology Guide
Ocean Ecology Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
Freshwater Ecology Problems Explored
from:Freshwater ecology is the study of the environment of freshwater. This includes the plants, animals and the living conditions in freshwater. Understanding not only what lives in freshwater but how these ecosystems work together or interact with each other is increasingly important. The more people understand about freshwater ecology, the more they can work to protect these very fragile living environments. There are many problems in the ecology of the freshwater ecosystem. Many human changes have left these systems fragile and broken. And yet, many can be repaired or at least saved by stopping the problems.
One of the largest problems of freshwater ecology is pollution. Imagine any lake near you. What is in that lake besides plants and animals that belong there? In many cases, you will find pollutions including:
• Debris and garbage left by people who have come to the lake for some reasons.
• Illegal dumping of waste and other toxins that pollute the lake or freshwater area.
• Chemicals added to the water through dumping
• Runoffs from factories and other industrial outlets containing all sorts of toxins including chemicals.
• Dams and other changes to the structure of the lake which disrupts the ecosystem within it.
Each of these is the most common problems that freshwater ecology faces. Many people wonder if there is really a problem. Is there something that needs to be done or is it just misinformation that people are being told. The fact is, there is a real problem. Whenever any substance, especially harmful ones like those listed about, enter the freshwater ecology, it disrupts the lives of everything there. Toxins and wastes kill animals and plants. They cause bacteria and other microorganisms to grow at rates that are too fast. In some cases, the entire freshwater ecology is wiped off the face of the planet due to this waste. While the water may still be there, the actual life within it is no longer there.
This does have an effect on humans. Freshwater is incredibly important to sustaining life on the planet and yet much of that freshwater has been destroyed. In some areas of the country and of the world, several droughts are in place due to the waste and destruction of freshwater.
The more that is understood about freshwater ecology, the better. Though difficult for most people to instantly fix, there is help and scientists are working to better understand just what can be done to save, improve and even create new freshwater habitats for animals and plants around the planet. IT becomes increasingly important for people to make wise decisions with how they react to freshwater, too.
Ocean Ecology Specific links
Ocean Ecology News
Study: Plastic Garbage In Pacific Ocean Has Increased 100-Fold In 40 Years
Scientists found the increase in hard surfaces in open ocean is already changing ocean ecology by making it easier for insects, known as "skaters" to procreate.
Read more...Researchers: Ocean garbage gyre impacting sea life
An increase in plastic debris floating in a zone between Hawaii and California is changing the environment of at least one marine critter, scientists reported.Over the past four decades, the amount of ...
Read more...Arctic seabirds adapt to climate change
The planet is warming up, especially at the poles. How do organisms react to this rise in temperatures? An international team led by a CNRS researcher from the Center for Functional and Evolutionary Ecology has shown that little auks, the most common seabirds in the Arctic, are adapting their fishing behavior to warming surface waters in the Greenland Sea. So far, their reproductive and survival ...
Read more...Report: Ocean Garbage Impacting Sea Life
An increase in plastic debris floating in a zone between Hawaii and California is changing the environment of at least one marine critter, scientists reported.
Read more...Plastic trash altering ocean habitats
A 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment, according to a new study.
Read more...