Question

How does water pollution negatively affect energy processing in organisms? Please include examples regarding various types of organisms, from people to plants.

Answer 1

Water pollution negatively affects energy processing in organisms in various ways. Few examples are explained as under-:

a) Water pollution affects the rate of photosynthesis in aquatic plants by disrupting this process and gradually affects the ecosystems which depend on these plants for their survival.

b) Formation of excessive algae known as algal bloom causes eutrophication. This algal bloom is caused due to excessive deposition of nutrients in the water bodies that come from the soil. This leads to oxygen depletion in the water bodies due to which the aquatic plants and animals do not survive under these algal blooms for a long time.

c) Pollutants may also be absorbed by the terrestrial and aquatic plants and animals which can eventually harm the health of humans who depend on these animal and plant sources as their food.

d) Sediment formation that results from soil erosion are carried into water bodies due to surface run-off. These suspended sediments interfere with the entry of sunlight into the water bodies and causes ecological imbalance in aquatic plants and animals.

e) Heat is also considered to be a water pollutant because it reduces the capacity of water to hold dissolved oxygen in solution. This in turn increases the metabolic rate in fishes.