Pollution has devastating effects on aquatic ecosystems, including:
1. Habitat destruction: Pollutants alter water chemistry, harming plants and animals adapted to specific environments.
2. Toxicity: Pollutants like pesticides, heavy metals, and industrial chemicals harm or kill aquatic organisms.
3. Oxygen depletion: Excess nutrients from pollutants like fertilizers lead to algal blooms, depleting oxygen and causing "dead zones".
4. Bioaccumulation: Pollutants accumulate in organisms' bodies, affecting development, growth, and reproduction.
5. Changes in species composition: Pollution favors tolerant species over sensitive ones, altering ecosystem balance.
6. Disruption of food webs: Pollution impacts predator-prey relationships and nutrient cycling.
7. Reduced biodiversity: Pollution leads to population declines, extirpation, or extinction.
8. Altered water chemistry: Pollutants change water pH, temperature, and turbidity, affecting aquatic life.
9. Increased disease and parasites: Pollution weakens immune systems, making aquatic organisms more susceptible to disease.
10. Economic impacts: Pollution affects fisheries, tourism, and ecosystem services, harming human livelihoods.
Pollution poses significant threats to aquatic ecosystems, necessitating urgent action to mitigate and prevent harm to these vital ecosystems.
