Effects of Eutrophication

The most notable effects of eutrophication on lakes are increase in toxic content and decrease in the overall biodiversity in the area.

·        Phytoplankton (microscopic algae) can grow out of control due to the increased nutrient content made available through photosynthesis. Sucking off the nutrients, and leaving none for other organisms.

·        Along with phytoplankton which are plant in nature, zooplanktons and gelatinous zooplanktons find eutrophic waterbodies as a safe haven and an opportunity for them to grow faster.

·        Both type of algae (epiphytic and bethnic) is observed to grow in number and where bethnic algae may serve as a food source, increased quantities only elevate the toxicity levels of the lake. The water loses its transparency and develops a bad smell and color. The treatment of this water becomes difficult.

·        Eventually, this leads to bad odor and taste, since the pH is disturbed, leading towards a more untreatable situation.

·        The oxygen that is naturally being produced within the water and is taken from the air is consumed forcibly by the algal blooms, leaving nothing behind for fishes and pioneer species in the area, leading to the eradication of oxygen.

·        Native species like white fishes in Europe get exiled from their territories due to unlivable environment.

·        The situation is also bad from an economic point of view, since many fish farms, spectravue or people making a living out by selling fresh marine lives as the number of harvestable oysters and shellfishes are lowered.

·        Above all the aesthetic nature of the lake is destroyed.

Ecological Effects

Generally, natural water, with an undisturbed pH, ranges somewhere between oligotrophic (no nutrients) and eutrophic (nutrient rich). The vertical structure of lakes is often affected by eutrophication. Human activities play a key role in disturbing the ecological balance of lake.

Decrease in Biodiversity

Primary producers (algae) are the biggest cause of eutrophication. They are provided the chance to ‘bloom’ when nutrients (artificial or natural means) present themselves on the lake side in surplus amounts. The algal blooms then do two very important things, firstly they suck off all the dissolved oxygen leaving behind an uninhabitable waterbody and secondly form an impermeable sheet that does not allow sunlight to reach the marine life beneath it. The effect of these algal blooms are witnessed, when the water body reaches a hypoxic level for oxygen. Eventually, the biodiversity starts to diminish as a hypoxic level of eutrophication induces suffocation and death on the marine life.

Increase in Water Toxicity

A variety of algae prove to be toxic for the environment. Algae like cyanobacteria are told to have neurotoxin and hepatotoxin effects on plants and animals. It is understood that due to food chain, many of these toxic deleterious effects can move up towards marine life and also land animals and plants. Humans consume seafood as a luxurious food item and also because of its unrivaled nutrient content. Still, toxic algal blooms can lead to more harm than good as they are responsible for being neurotoxic, paralytic, as seen in diarrhetic shellfish poisoning.