1 / 7

Eutrophication

Eutrophication. Nitrogen and Phosphorus are often limiting factors in plant growth. Therefore they are used in fertilizers to improve plant growth.

mcompos
Download Presentation

Eutrophication

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Eutrophication Nitrogen and Phosphorus are often limiting factors in plant growth. Therefore they are used in fertilizers to improve plant growth. However, eutrophication is when there is “ too much of a good thing”. Excess amount of these nutrients can have harmful affects on aquatic (water) ecosystems.

  2. Eutrophication: Too much of a good thing Eutrophication is the addition of excess nutrients to an aquatic system Fertilizers- N and P Detergents- P Organic waste (manure, sewage) Algal bloom: excessive growth of algae when the normally limiting nutrients (N or P) are increased

  3. Eutrophication Cont. • Overgrowth of algae blocks the light • - Algae and other plants begin to die and be decomposed. • OR Organic waste can be used directly as food by decomposers Dissolved Oxygen Levels Drop because decomposers use O2 Can result in fish kills and decline of other species

  4. Review with your table partner: What is the initial effect on a lake if excess nutrients get into a lake from runoff of fertilizers on farms? An increase in the population of algae– “ an algal bloom” Note that algae are photosynthetic organisms- how do the algae themselves affect the amount of oxygen? Photosynthesis gives off oxygen, so while the algae are living they increase the amount of oxygen in a lake. The end effect of eutrophication (excess nutrients) is low oxygen in a lake. Explain why this occurs. The mass of algae blocks the light and causes an increase in decomposition of dead algae and plants. The decomposers use up the oxygen.

  5. Eutrophication Animation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGqZsSuG7ao

  6. Puget Sound Dead Zones http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JTxVxL_yFM

  7. Eutrophication

More Related