Algae for Environmental and Perspective - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Algaefor Environmental and Technology Perspective. Answer: Algae are described as ecologically significant and having potential applications from an environmental/technology perspective. Please describe one way in which algae have negatively affected the ecological functioning of aquatic ecosystems and one positive environmental application in which its usefulness is proposed. The high-level growth of algae has detrimental effects on the ecosystem as it reduces water clarity; this prevents sunlight from reaching other aquatic plants and animals, which affects their survival. Aquatic plants are killed through the inhibition off sunlight for growth and photosynthesis while aquatic animals like fish are killed because of oxygen deprivation caused by excessive growth of algae. Further, as the excess alga die and decay, they exhaust the oxygen in the water depicting it inhospitable for aquatic life. However, alga plays a crucial role in the ecological system. Alga is the major leading source of the worlds oxygen and the basis of food chain for aquatic life. Human beings and other animals need oxygen for survival. On the other hand, algae are beneficial to the aquatic ecosystem as they provide aquatic living organisms with energy for their functionality (Chao, 2017). Are algae confined solely to aquatic environments, yes or no? Please support your answer with specific examples No. Algae are not solely to the aquatic environment because algae can grow anywhere like damp places or water bodies, thus are widespread in aquatic as well as terrestrial environments. However, it is imperative to note that, terrestrial algae are mostly to a certain extent inconspicuous and are more frequent in moist areas than dry ones, this is because algae lack vascular tissues and the necessary adaptations to survive on dry land. As mentioned, algae can grow anywhere. For instance, animals (turtles, crustaceans, and alligators to mention a few), artificial substrates like wooden fences, aquatic plants, mud, tree trunks, and rocks just to mention a few. In this case, it is arguable that algae are not solely to the aquatic environment (Cornwall, Comeau McCulloch, 2017). References Cornwall, C. E., Comeau, S., McCulloch, M. T. (2017). Coralline algae elevate pH at the site of calcification under ocean acidification.Global Change Biology. Chao, S. S. (2017, February). DEVELOPING A NUMERICAL BOX MODEL TO COMPUTE ALGAE CONCENTRATION AS CHLOROPHYLL. In2017 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 16-20, 2017).