Biology GCSE
Eutrophication
This process takes place in a water body (e.g a river or lake). Eutrophication starts
when fertilizers containing nutrients (such as nitrates or phosphates) are washed into
the river or lake system.
The fertilizers are considered as “food” for the algae found at the bottom of the water
body, which is why they help them grow and reproduce quickly. Eventually, the algae
end up reaching the top of the water.
Once the algae cover the lake, they start absorbing the sun rays needed for survival.
This is actually not very convenient for the other plants in the ecosystem, considering
other types of flora don’t grow so fast and end up at the bottom of the lake, where
the sun cannot supply them enough since the algae are covering all the surface of
the lake. Eventually, as the other plants cannot do photosynthesis, they die.
Consequently, fish die whether it is from starving (because they don’t have plants to
feed from) or lack of oxygen (as there are no plants at the bottom, no oxygen is
produced). Besides all of this, bacteria start to break down the dead plants and fish,
releasing more nutrients back into the water, continuing an “algal bloom cycle”. The
bacteria continue reproducing quickly with the enough supply of food, consuming the
few oxygen left in the ecosystem. As a result of this, water turns anoxic.
In conclusion, it’s very important to be aware of the trouble we can cause if we abuse
the consumption of fertilizers, as well as the dumping of these products into lakes,
rivers, etc.
Eutrophication
This process takes place in a water body (e.g a river or lake). Eutrophication starts
when fertilizers containing nutrients (such as nitrates or phosphates) are washed into
the river or lake system.
The fertilizers are considered as “food” for the algae found at the bottom of the water
body, which is why they help them grow and reproduce quickly. Eventually, the algae
end up reaching the top of the water.
Once the algae cover the lake, they start absorbing the sun rays needed for survival.
This is actually not very convenient for the other plants in the ecosystem, considering
other types of flora don’t grow so fast and end up at the bottom of the lake, where
the sun cannot supply them enough since the algae are covering all the surface of
the lake. Eventually, as the other plants cannot do photosynthesis, they die.
Consequently, fish die whether it is from starving (because they don’t have plants to
feed from) or lack of oxygen (as there are no plants at the bottom, no oxygen is
produced). Besides all of this, bacteria start to break down the dead plants and fish,
releasing more nutrients back into the water, continuing an “algal bloom cycle”. The
bacteria continue reproducing quickly with the enough supply of food, consuming the
few oxygen left in the ecosystem. As a result of this, water turns anoxic.
In conclusion, it’s very important to be aware of the trouble we can cause if we abuse
the consumption of fertilizers, as well as the dumping of these products into lakes,
rivers, etc.
