September 8, 2022
Do you guys still remember Pollution Indicators in I/GCSE Biology?
Pollution changes the environment
- Pollution – damage to the environment or to living things caused by the careless release of waste
- Pollution from humans = damage to environment + organisms living there
- Burn fossil fuels – for energy / create other chemicals
- Many waste gasses = poisonousor acidic – dissolve in water droplets in clouds = forms acid rain
- Acid rain damaging to animals + plants
- Pollute water by pouring chemicals into it
- Difficult to monitor + enforce air and water pollution (illegal)
- High level of pollution = kills organisms + change in distribution of species
- Refer to I/GCSE Biology, Pollution indicators – organisms whose presence or absence indicates the existence of pollution in a given area
Lichens and air pollution
- Lichen – an organisms formed from a fungus and lichen that can live in extreme conditions; used as an indicator of air pollution
- Found on trees / walls
- Some grow in no pollution, some grow in different kinds of pollution
- Sulphur dioxide pollution decreased due to lichens
Aquatic invertebrates as pollution indictors
- Most aquatic organisms get oxygen from water (for respiration) – not from air
- Fertilisers + sewage contain nitrogen + phosphate – if drained in water then plants, algae, bacteria grow rapidly + use up oxygen in respiration
- In I/GCSE Biology, Organisms die because oxygen concentration drops – can’t get oxygen they need
- Some survive in water with little oxygen – special adaptation
- Bloodworm = red – contains haemoglobin – combines with oxygen (like in red blood cells)
- Can use the presence or absence of species to indicate how polluted water is
That's all~