Eutrophication

Too many nutrients, algae grows, there is no light, plants die, there is oxygen depletion

The primary causes for eutrophication are anthropogenic Detergents and fertilizer
However there is the case of natural causes.
Eutrophication will cause at the end the dead of many organisms in the body water, most of the times because the lack of oxygen.
This phenomena is specially harmful in slow moving water bodies.

How do we stop it?

• Controlling the runoff from crop fields and from urban areas
• Control the amount of fertilizers used in agricultural practices
• Develop buffer zones around body water. Growing plants around them. The plants will absorb the excess of nutrients
• Set water treatments on sewage sources.
• Oxygenize the water
• Drench the sediment off the water.

Direct and Indirect Measurements

Direct sampling

• In situ. Actually, in the studied place.

Reliable and the best option because of the exact results gases
It is difficult to carry all of the instruments

• Ex situ. Off from the place where sample is established

Use of more methods and instruments, flexible
You cannot experiment instantly and so the sample could suffer some changes.
Shipping and handling is necessary.
When measuring pollution, direct measurements could be use to measure the concentration of:

• gases
• particulate matter
• pH
• dissolved oxygen
• biomass content
• salts
• conductivity
• turbidly

Most of the measurements are giving in units per area, or per
Indirect sample
These measurements are the ones where we measure one factor in order to study or get conclusions for other factor. They don’t really tell you the concentration, you need to interpret them.
Examples of it are

• Indicator species,  They define an specific area or a specific biome
• Biodiversity indexes
• Chromatography
• Spectroscopy

Matter keeps rolling...

Inside the ECOSYSTEMS we find some cool features. Now we'll work with each of the elements that form them.

Living organisms are presented in every ecosystem. They have seven main characteristics:

1. They have/are cells

2. They reproduce

3. Grow and develop (die)

4. Absorb and use energy and materials

5. Maintain homeostasis

6. Respond stimuli

7. They're organized

There are thousands and thousands of organisms around the world. They're classified with different schemes or keys.

Organisms within an ecosystem can be recognized as producers, consumers, and decomposers by the way they obtain matter and energy. This division brings on the trophic levels.

Energy and matter flows through these trophic levels. As it had been told, energy is not completely transfered between levels 'cause some of it is used by each organisms.

Each organism found within an ecosystem is called an individual. Individuals that share similar characteristics and can reproduce between them form can be identify as a specie. A group of organisms of the same specie form and population. When populations are found together in a given area and interact between them they form a community.