Question

What is Eutrophication and how it can impact the microbial diversity in ecosystems?

Answer 1

Eutrophication:

Eutrophication is the process by which nutrient in water is increased due to which there is increase in the growth of plants and algae, which has the change in the ecosystem.

Due to eutrophication the algae in the water increases, this is also called algal bloom. Due to which the quality of water is destroyed.

Eutrophication can occur due to human activities, like the nutrients can enter the water through agriculture or from sewage.

Eutrophication and microbial diversity:

• The microbial activity and its diversity is increased by the Eutrophication.
• The microbes decompose the dead organisms in the water.
• Microbes increase the nutrients in the water by decomposing which is used up again by the algal communities to grow faster.
• It might also produce the toxic substances which might select particular algae to grow.
• The microorganisms use up the oxygen and reduce the oxygen content in the water - Anoxia, which leads to depletion of the aquatic organisms.
• Both in water and in the sediments the microbial diversity increases.
• There are differences in microbial communities between water and sediment samples. Example: Sphingobacteriia, Cyanobacteria, Phycisphaerae, Chlorobia and Alphaproteobacteria were present mostly in water samples. Betaproteobacteria, Anaerolineae, Gammaproteobacteria and Deltaproteobacteriaere mainly observed in sediment samples.
• When oxygen is depleted, the bacterial activity increases that raise ammonia and hydrogen sulphide in the water.
• Release of poisonous gases also affects plants and animals.
• Eutrophication also increases the growth of disease causing microorganisms to grow in the water. This further infects human and animals. Example: cholera and typhoid spread faster.

Thus eutrophication has high impact on the microbial community by increasing its diversity, and changes the total habitat for other organisms.