Hi, today we will discuss a phenomenon in our biological world: algal blooms and its reason. Algae are present in water bodies and something causes discoloration on the surface of water bodies due to the presence of huge amounts of nutrients in aquatic habits.
Table of Contents
Major Causes of Algal Blooms:
When a huge amount of nutrients which help the algae to grow are introduced into an aquatic system, a sudden boom occurs in the algal population in an aquatic system. For example nitrogen and phosphorus compounds used in agriculture flash by flowing rain water and reach water bodies or sewage content mix into water bodies algae start to blooms.
These are the man made reason for Algal Blooms but algal blooms can also occur naturally. The nutrients from the deep ocean when reached at the surface of ocean by ocean currents algae grow rapidly on the surface of ocean which cause algal blooms.
Effect of Algal Blooms:
Now we are going to discuss how algal blooms affect aquatic ecosystems. How algal blooms affect different organisms in aquatic ecosystems depends upon which type of algae grow rapidly.
If harmful algae grow then it is sure that it will affect aquatic ecosystems but if beneficial algae start to grow then it can be good for the aquatic ecosystems. The algae present on the surface of water bodies are known as phytoplankton and they are the source of food for the herbivores present in the water bodies.
But all the phytoplankton are not beneficial some of them are very toxic they release toxic chemicals. If the toxic algae grow rapidly then the toxin released by them may cause death of the aquatic organisms.
Some of them cause paralysis in various organisms like fish, turtles, sea birds even when it reaches humans through the food chain may cause serious illness in human beings. In some organisms like shellfish the toxin due to bad algal blooms accumulate which is known as bioaccumulation.
When humans take them as food it causes different types of illness in humans like paralytic shellfish poisoning, neurotoxic shellfish poisoning, diarrheal shellfish poisoning.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is Algae?
Ans: Algae are unicellular or multicellular eukaryotic organisms who can produce their food using the pigment present in them. Different coloured pigments present in them give different coloration for example some algae are red in colour, some are brown in colour while others are green like other plants.
2. In which habitat algae live?
Ans: Algae generally grow in water bodies like pond, river, lake, ocean even they live in brackish water and in sub-zero conditions in snow. They also grow in soils near water bodies where there is a sufficient amount of moisture present.
3. What is the major role of algae in the ecosystem?
Ans: Most of them live in aquatic ecosystems and as they can produce their own food they function as producers in an aquatic ecosystem. Algae present in water bodies of small size are known as phytoplankton and it is primary food for most of the aquatic organisms. Larva of some aquatic animals are completely dependent on phytoplankton for their source of food.
4. Why do we sometimes see the surface of water bodies start to color?
Ans: Sometimes we notice a colouration on the surface of water bodies due sudden rapid growth of the phytoplankton present on the surface of water bodies. When suddenly a large amount of nutrients appear in aquatic ecosystems it causes rapid multiplication in the algal population and when it occurs in coloured algae we notice a change in colour on the surface of aquatic ecosystems.
Reference: Algal Blooms and Its Reason
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