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Question

How can you tell if algae are toxic?


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Solution

Algae:

  1. The term algae refers to a class of aquatic photosynthetic organisms that are both microscopic and macroscopic in nature. And the toxic algae are known as algal blooms.

Algal blooms:

  1. Algal blooms are one of the fastest-growing microscopic algae, meaning they are unicellular in nature, and kelp forest is one of the most common macroscopic algae.
  2. Algal blooms are caused by various nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus that enter the aquatic system from various fertilizers and form algal blooms.
  3. They have a variety of effects on ecosystems, such as blocking sunlight, depleting oxygen levels in the water, secreting toxic materials in water, and so on.
  4. All of these negative effects, most of the time, result in the depletion of aquatic organisms.

Harmful effects of algal blooms:

Risk to Human Health and Life:

Because algal blooms produce toxins in water bodies, they are indirectly consumed by humans, leading to fatal disorders or diseases such as itching, skin diseases, and so on.

Aquatic Animal Death:

  1. Every living organism, whether in water or on land, requires an adequate supply of oxygen.
  2. In the same way that algal bacteria require oxygen for survival, they consume the oxygen present in the aquatic system, resulting in oxygen depletion and the death of aquatic animals.

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