MBB 222 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Harmful Algal Bloom, Algal Bloom, Starch
20 Dec 2018
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Document Summary
The top rung on the hierarchical ladder of life describes the complex interactions among organisms that occur within ecosystems. How organisms interact with their environment and with each other can have beneficial or detrimental effects on life at the level of local or global ecosystems. Aquatic environments, for example, are extremely sensitive to changes in ecosystem dynamics, as seen by the effects of algal blooms on fish populations in localized regions. Algae are microscopic photosynthetic organisms that mostly live freely in freshwater or saltwater. In some cases, bacterial decomposition can cause acute oxygen depletion resulting in massive fish kills, especially if the water is warm and water circulation is minimal. Some forms of algae produce toxins that are deadly to other aquatic organisms and even to humans when the toxins accumulate in filter-feeding shellfish that people consume. Deadly algal blooms in aquatic environments are an example of the importance of ecosystem interactions at the biochemical level.
