Second Official Post

Organisms living in an aquatic ecosystem

An aquatic ecosystem contains a wide variety of life forms. Bacteria, fungi, and protozoans which are bottom-dwelling organisms such as insect larvae, snails, and worms, plankton and also fish, amphibians and reptiles. Viruses also play an important role in the nutrient and energy cycles.

Lakes, ponds, oceans, seas, rivers and streams are some of the aquatic ecosystems that can be found.

What is stress?

The health of an aquatic ecosystem will be affected when the ecosystem's stress is too much. Stress on an aquatic ecosystem can be a result of the following: physical, chemical or biological.

Physical alterations are changes in the water temperature, rate of water flow and the light availability. Plants need light to carry out the process of photosynthesis. Without light, plants will die and there will not be enough oxygen for the other organisms in the ecosystem, thus all other organisms may die as a result.

Chemical alterations can be like introduction of toxins at a certain point that is harmful to the organisms by human beings.

Biological alterations can be the introduction of other exotic species of organisms. Human beings can impose stress on aquatic ecosystems by introducing other types of organisms into the aquatic ecosystem and by releasing harmful substances into the ecosystem.

Healthy aquatic ecosystems are those where human activities have not damaged the natural processes like nutrient cycling and changed the structure of the ecosystem by adding in other species of organisms to the ecosystem.