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Aquatic Ecosystem Report Essay

Student Name

Institution

Subject

Lecture

Date
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Table of Contents

Executive summary.......................................................................................................................3

Introduction....................................................................................................................................3

Methods..........................................................................................................................................4

Layers..........................................................................................................................................5

Micro-Organism.........................................................................................................................5

Macro-Organism........................................................................................................................6

Results.............................................................................................................................................6

Population Growth.....................................................................................................................7

Climatic Change.........................................................................................................................7

Increase in Land Use..................................................................................................................8

Discussion.......................................................................................................................................8

Conclusion......................................................................................................................................9

References.....................................................................................................................................10
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Executive summary
There is a well-established organ pertaining literature on the monetary valuation of a

water ecosystem, its services, or the importance of supporting sustainability to an individual's life

in a given environment. First and foremost, aquatic ecosystems are some visible environmental

assets whereby their health has been identified to influence the surrounding local community.

Therefore, the aquatic ecosystem often comprises oceans, lakes, streams, and other water bodies

on the earth's surface. In addition, there are many living things within these ecosystems that will

always depend on water for their survival, such as fish, plants, and some microorganisms. The

article will describe various critical components of the aquatic system and their interaction,

varieties of symptoms or implications of unsustainability utilization of available natural

resources, and appropriate recommendation for improvement of resource strategies. Also, the

research will aim at understanding explanatory assets about physical and biological aquatic

components and how individuals are involved in their modification. The research will enable one

to be in a position to measure various basic parameters that often entail features of soils,

sediments, and water in general. Eventually, the case study or report will include an emphasis on

the evaluation of some resources pertaining environment and their information from an

established zone of specification.

Introduction
Today's specification area will deal with an aquatic ecosystem, its components, and their

interaction. Notably, it is best to understand that the economic value of the water ecosystem only

outlays when its supply is scarce concerning its demand (Matthew et al., 2019). Therefore,

whenever water is insufficient or in a state of unlimited supply, it is defined as free from an

economic sense. It has been identified that scarce water often explains its economic values since

people will be observed competing for its use. It has been identified that activities like;
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recreation, tourism, and water transportation are the standard services rendered by the majority

of an aquatic ecosystem. Besides that, the water ecosystem has also been responsible for

providing valuable services that regulate and maintain habitat functions like pollution, storm

protection, and shoreline stabilization for those living near ocean and lake zones.

The main aim of this project report was to formulate appropriate techniques for

maintaining water ecosystem zones and studying various critical components of the water

ecosystem. The interaction within them, varieties of symptoms that broadcast from

inappropriateness utilization of aquatic ecosystem environment, and the best method to apply to

control such scenario. Finally, the case report will also explain some physical and biological

aquatic components and how each individual is involved in its modification process.

Methods
Based on the Key Components of Aquatic Ecosystem, from the research and report

conducted on the water ecosystem environment, many key water components were discovered,

and the interrelationship within these components was also discovered and studied. First and

foremost, one should understand that any ecosystem often contains biotic and abiotic

communities that are always structured concerning environmental factors. There are essential

abiotic environmental factors within the water ecosystem like water depth, nutrient levels,

substrate types, and temperature. The basis of aquatic ecosystems has been nullified to be how

living organisms interact within a given body of water. This explains the relationship that is

recorded between plants and animals that are within an aquatic environment. These systems have

been identified in various places like oceans, ponds, lakes, and streams. When an individual can

understand varieties of aquatic components, they will be able to explain how each one of them

facilitates or contributes to the survival of the broad ecosystem and its surrounding environment.
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The following are some aquatic components that describe their interrelationship within the

ecosystem. The diagram below represent aquatic ecosystem components.

Layers
This is a component of the aquatic ecosystem that often comprises materials found on the

bottom of the water body. They include; typical sands, rocks, and mud. The water itself has been

mentioned to be an aquatic component subdivided into two major kinds: freshwater and

saltwater, which may be static on in motion depending on the nature of the ecosystem. A river

ecosystem and a swamp ecosystem are where a river can move, while a swampy or marshland is

always stagnant. The top layer, sometimes described as an outermost component, is non-other

than air. Air is found on the top of the water. This relationship is significant since air is essential

to oxygenating water, and chemicals within it also dissolve in water, which finally affects the

clarity of water and its general quality.

Micro-Organism
According to Cavicchioli et al. (2019), these are components of aquatic ecosystems

described as microscopic life forms that humans cannot see or observe with naked eyes. They are

comprised of organisms like algae and fungi (Gobler, 2020). They are known to exist in large

numbers within this type of ecosystem. Their interaction within an ecosystem with animals are
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negatively influential, and this is because they cause various disease like dysentery. However,

within an ecosystem are crucial by their nature of decomposition and recycling of materials;

therefore, removing pollution and matters.

A good example is a fish. When its life ends, it will cause some toxicity to water;

therefore, when a microorganism decomposes, it deprives of nutrients. In addition,

microorganisms are essential in providing nitrogen to maintain or regulate the environment to

depict the survival of other organisms.

Macro-Organism
These are visible aquatic components, and an individual can see them within an aquatic

ecosystem. There are different plants and animals which are termed to be macro-organisms.

Therefore, plants are essential to the ecosystem for re-oxygenating water and vital in providing

or creating habitat for various aquatic creatures. Animals, on the other hand, are categorized into

two forms, either large or small, which will always vary from crustaceans to whales. Therefore,

concerning other ecosystems, animals within this kind of ecosystem often have predators that

operate according to the natural food chain. A good example is derived from the following food

chain; plankton feeding on microorganisms, fish consuming plankton, the seal will consume on

fish, and the sharks and other large fish like wheels will eat on small fish. Hence this chain is

very prominent since it acts as a control technique at population levels.

Results
Implications and unsustainability utilization in the aquatic ecosystem with appropriate

control. Sometimes human activities have been mentioned to cause negativity in the performance

of the aquatic ecosystem. This will result in implications and unsustainability in using such

aquatic resources (Huang et al., 2019). The first thing to note is that unsustainability often affects

the environment in terms of consumption and production, which are known to be derived from
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three major planetary crises: climatic differences, biodiversity changes, and finally, pollution

cases. Therefore, adverse effects of water on an aquatic ecosystem are identified to cause some

reduction in the ability of fish and other aquatic life that often find food. This directly influences

the entire population leaving an area in a negative state. Some harmful algal blooms often

facilitate thick, green muck that always affects clear water, recreation activities, and another

property value is reduced.

Therefore, water, a vital renewable resource, has incremented multiple competing

demands from individuals, industries, and agricultural sections. Thereby, resulting in misuse and

unsustainability utilization of the general aquatic ecosystem. Major driving forces have been

identified to cause changes in aquatic zones, finally threatening water sustainability.

Population Growth
This pertains to migration patterns to megacities. Based on United Nations prediction, the

global population is known to increase from 7.1 billion to about 9.2 billion; hence, there will be

further diminishing water quality per individual. For instance, when people are known to migrate

to megacities, the concentration demand and stress of water will result. This will leads to less

water available or sufficient per person. Humans are also known to increase in coastal cities

where the nature of water is too saline because of sea water which results in expensive

desalinized water. Eventually, as more freshwater is pumped frequently to supply the increasing

population, urban development salinity is said to be intruded from the sea and finally despoil

urban streams supplies (Wantzen et al., 2019).

Climatic Change

This is the change in precipitation patterns and dry conditions within a given zone. The

report shows that the area concerned has prevailing shifting climatic patterns; therefore, drying
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becomes dry and wet areas become wetter through the year. In arid zones, the relatively small

amount of moisture evaporates quicker under hotter conditions, which often results in more

frequent and profound droughts (Häder & Barnes, 2019). Conversely, humid zones often become

wetter with more precipitation and floods. The adjacent ocean is often known to evaporate more

water; in return, more water or a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture. Therefore,

recording increments in the cloud and bolstering global precipitation rates. Finally, too little or

no water or too much of it is twin juggernauts of climatic change that always result in water

unsustainability. A graph of climatic change indicator on aquatic ecosystem.

Increase in Land Use

The water ecosystem's unsustainability has also resulted from increased agriculture,

irrigation programs, and urban sprawl. Here the critical fact is that food and water have been

intimately connected. Therefore, to be able to accommodate of feed the expanding population,

there should be an increase in intensive agricultural programs that will majorly dwell on

expanding large acreages. This will, in return, cause more chemical usage that diminishes and
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dislodge water quality. In addition, some surface runoffs from agricultural lands that carry sand

particles, fertilizers, and other chemicals finally deposit in the streams or aquatic ecosystem. This

fertilizer component will over-enrich coastal waters, finally causing eutrophication and arising of

harmful algal blooms. Urban sprawl causes great imperviousness, thereby inflicting infiltration

that mainly recharges aquifers (Bueno & Huelva, 2020). Groundwater, in return, will diminish

through burgeoning water and withdrawal demands by expanding population and global

agriculture.

Discussion
Water unsustainability is becoming a global matter of improvised states megacities and

some large-scale arid regions. Therefore the appropriate mechanism should be employed to

reduce such effect since there has been a great witness of water stress in the zones like the

middle east, northern Africa, and southern Asia. To reduce the effect, a lot of observation has

been witnessed that billions of money have been invested purposely for water reclamation plants.

A procedural plan known as Aquifer storage was invented to use wells to generate pumping of

water into confirmed aquifers under pressure. This is important because these aquifers can be

utilized during dry conditions as the only emergency water supply in a given region. Hence water

unsustainability is a significant risk poser the strategic plans have been formulated to adapt to the

situation, like preparing for climatic change. This is done by creating and refurbishing more

water infrastructures, reusing water, and finally recharging water aquifers.

Conclusion
This essay report that various driving forces of population growth and climatic changes

have been observed that influence or cause impacts on the aquatic ecosystem. Therefore,

unsustainability utilization of the water ecosystem always ejects more risk in future generations

(Flörke et al., 2018). Generally, there should be appropriate adaptation and strategic plans to
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minimize such conditions so they can be mitigated at the possible pace. One of the main things to

understand is that adaptation is mainly concerned with preparing for climatic change and

creating water infrastructure to serve as aquifers during a drought. Using wise energy fuel has

been a great idea since many occasions, usage of poor energy reforms outlays pollution cases.

Therefore, mitigation often entails transitioning from fossil fuels and improving human thinking

and perspective through global cooperation. The region's scale has recorded drought and flood

increases that inflict human misery on reflection to the burgeoning population. Hence the

ecosystem is suffering from poor water quality due to agricultural practices and energy.

Eventually, individuals' relationship with water and how they utilize it to evolve the challenges

will often encounter with their understanding that drives unsustainability and accept quality

water as a human right.

References
Bueno-Suárez, C., & Coq-Huelva, D. (2020). Sustaining what is unsustainable: A review of

urban sprawl and urban socio-environmental policies in North America and Western

Europe. Sustainability, 12(11), 4445. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/11/4445/pdf?

version=1591231009
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Cavicchioli, R., Ripple, W. J., Timmis, K. N., Azam, F., Bakken, L. R., Baylis, M., ... &

Webster, N. S. (2019). Scientists’ warning to humanity: microorganisms and climate

change. Nature Reviews Microbiology, 17(9), 569-586.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0222-5

Flörke, M., Schneider, C., & McDonald, R. I. (2018). Water competition between cities and

agriculture driven by climate change and urban growth. Nature Sustainability, 1(1), 51-

58. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-017-0006-8

Gobler, C. J. (2020). Climate change and harmful algal blooms: insights and perspective.

Harmful algae, 91, 101731.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1568988319302045

Häder, D. P., & Barnes, P. W. (2019). Comparing the impacts of climate change on the responses

and linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Science of the Total

Environment, 682, 239-246.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969719320352

Leal Filho, W., Hunt, J., Lingos, A., Platje, J., Vieira, L. W., Will, M., & Gavriletea, M. D.

(2021). The unsustainable use of sand: Reporting on a global problem. Sustainability,

13(6), 3356. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/6/3356

Matthew, N. K., Shuib, A. H. M. A. D., Ramachandran, S. R. I. D. A. R., & Afandi, S. H. M.

(2019). Total economic value of ecosystem services in Malaysia: A review. Journal of

Sustainability Science and Management, 14(5), 148-163. https://jssm.umt.edu.my/wp-

content/uploads/sites/51/2019/10/11-14.5.pdf
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Trolle, D., Nielsen, A., Andersen, H. E., Thodsen, H., Olesen, J. E., Børgesen, C. D., ... &

Jeppesen, E. (2019). Effects of changes in land use and climate on aquatic ecosystems:

Coupling of models and decomposition of uncertainties. Science of the Total

Environment, 657, 627-633.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969718348952

Wantzen, K. M., Alves, C. B. M., Badiane, S. D., Bala, R., Blettler, M., Callisto, M., ... &

Zingraff-Hamed, A. (2019). Urban stream and wetland restoration in the Global South—

A DPSIR analysis. Sustainability, 11(18), 4975. https://www.mdpi.com/532784