topic 9 - ecosystems (assessing pollution Flashcards
`eutrophication
adding more nutrients to an ecosystem than it normally has
blackspot fungus
pathogen of roses that is killed by acidic air pollution
indicator species
organisms whose presence indicates the presence or absence of certain types of pollution
invertebrate
animal without bones, such as insects or worms
lichen
a mutualistic relationship between a fungus and an alga. The presence of some species can indicate different levels of air pollution
sewage
human waste collected for treatment
causes of water pollution
factories, sewage, fertilisers
how is factories a cause of water pollution
releasing poisonous substances like mercury or detergents
how is sewage a cause of water pollution
untreated sewage contains nitrates
how is fertilisers a cause of water pollution
nitrates cause eutrophication, which ultimately decreased the amount of oxygen in the water which kills the organisms
list the indicator species in order from low to high pollution level
stonefly nymph, dragonfly nymph, freshwater shrimp, water louse, bloodworm, sludge worm
how are invertebrate animals good indicators for water pollution
they are very sensitive to the concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water
how are lichen good indicators for air pollution
they are very sensitive to the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. the more lichen, the cleaner the air is
how is blackspot fungus a good indicator of air pollution
sensitive to the level of sulfur dioxide in the air, so its presence will indicate clean air
cost of indicator species
doesn’t tell you how polluted an area is
what are dissolved oxygen metres and chemical tests (non-living indicators)
used to accurately measure the level of concentration of dissolved oxygen in water, to show how the level of water pollution is changing
what are electronic metres and laboratory tests (non-living indicators)
used to accurately measure the concentration of sulfur dioxide in the air, to show how air pollution is changing
