Eutrophication Key Terms Flashcards
Eutrophication
An increase in the external nutrients to an ecosystem that results in an increase in plant growth. Affects ecosystems, recreation, economies and lives.
Eutrophic
Lake or body of water rich in nutrients and so supporting a dense plant population, the decomposition of which kills animal life by depriving it of oxygen
Nutrient
Essential elements that tent to limit plant growth. Plants need oxygen but it is not considered a nutrient - nutrients are things that limit
Phytoplankton
Increased nutrient supply can result in increased phytoplankton growth -> more phytoplankton .. this can cause problems
Limiting nutrient
C, N, P, Fe (fertilizer ingredients)
Liebigs Laws
Tells us which nutrient to reduce, the limiting nutrient is the one in shortest relative to need - must control this to reverse eutrophication
Control (in an experiment)
One that is limited
Paleo-reconstruction
Shows us lake aging - history of algae production
Sediment core
Collected during reconstruction
Point source
Comes from points - pipes, domestic sewage - is easier to measure
Non-point source
From water shed activities, live stock production, urbanization
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD)
The amount of oxygen consumed by respiration per unit time - depends on 2 main things: concentration of organic matter in water & how easily organic matter is decomposed (labile)
Labile
Readily digested, easily decomposed by bacteria - raw sewage
Refractory
Poorly digested, not easily decomposed by bacteria - leafs and wood
Cyanobacteria
Fresh water toxic phytoplankton
Dinoflagellates
Marine toxic phytoplankton - huge issue can kill a lot animals
Toxic Red Tide
Harmful algal bloom caused by dinoflagellates
Fish Kill
More nutrients aren’t always a good thing - increased nutrients leads to increased fish
Dead Zone
Areas of large bodies of water where the bottom water is anoxic. These are occurring in many areas along the coast of major continents, large rivers and large lakes.
Anoxic
Very low or completely zero concentrations of dissolved oxygen
Sewage Diversion
Lake Washington success story