As seen in the video in the previous post, the marine food chain is an essential part of the cycle of life for species in the environment. Therefore, it is imperative and crucial to our ecosystem that we assist in keeping this cycle ongoing.
In an article posted by the Deseret News, it stated that “Scientists say bacteria, plankton and other tiny, bottom-feeding creatures will consume oil and will then be eaten by small fish, crabs and shrimp. They, in turn, will be eaten by bigger fish, such as red snapper, and marine mammals such as dolphins.” This brief excerpt from the article describes the relation of the food chain and the oil spill and its effect on the marine species. Because the oil floats, it is therefore found at the surface of the water where the phytoplankton and many other microscopic animals at the base of the food chain thrive. The zooplankton then consume these species along with bits of oil to then be passed along the food chain as previously described. Another article published by Science Daily discusses how scientists are monitoring the amount of hydrocarbons and heavy metals from the oil in the different species as they are carried throughout the food chain.
Since the food chain is a circle of life that is needed to keep these species alive, I feel as though this is a serious matter at hand. I think that it is important that scientists are examining and evaluating how and how much oil is working its way up the food chain. Honestly, this not only causes me to increase my awareness of this issue, but it also makes me think twice about eating seafood that is imported seeing as there is a possibility that it could contain oil and be passed on to me as well.
It is astounding how much an entire marine food chain relies so much on microscopic plankton. With oil floating on the surface it will be difficult for phytoplankton to absorb sunlight. Zooplankton will consume oil when it feeds, which will in turn affect the entire food chain. Throughout each link in the food chain oil contaminants will be pasted from one animal to another. In my environmental science class, I learned that this process is called biomagnification. The oil will grow more concentrated in each organism as you go up the food chain. You are absolutely right to be worried about the contaminants being passed along to you. If a fishing company catches and sells sea food from the Gulf, there is a good chance it is concentrated with oil. It is very gross and unsettling to think about. This whole situation makes me angry at BP for being so irresponsible with their drilling and for also taking forever to fix the spewing oil. It is disheartening to think about the long term effects to the marine environment and wildlife in the Gulf because of this spill. I don’t know if the Gulf will be able to fully recover from this catastrophe, and if it does then I am positive it will take a very long time.
ReplyDeleteOil has its risks, and we all make ourselves more vulnerable to those risks when we allow oil companies to drill without enforced regulations. You talked about how you think twice about imported (sea)food before eating it, because it could very well be contaminated by oil. But we aren't going to stop eating our favourite seafood because we think it could be contaminated, what needs to be done to protect our ecosystem and the food chain is: not to stop drilling entirely, but to drill with immense caution, so that such disasters like these are less likely to happen. Also, I watched one of the videos you uploaded and it talked about how marine life would take decades to recover from this spill, I actually do think it would take way longer than that because there are other oil spills happening around America more often than not, which people do not actually hear about or take into account.
ReplyDeleteMr Cash, thank you for that term, biomagnification, as it accurately terms the process in which I describe. I agree that this issue is of great concern and the thought of how long it is going to take for these animals to recover is overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteAdelina, seeing that you are also blogging on the topic of oil, you can understand and relate to this issue to a certain extent. I agree that these risks and dangers of incidents are introduced, such as oil spills, when offshore drilling is conducted; therefore, I further agree with you that stricter regulation should be instilled to avoid detriment. You make an interesting point when you say you think it will take longer because of other oil spill happening around America. I think this statement could prove to be valid which would indeed lengthen the timeframe of recovery of these animals.
The devastation of the oil spill is tremendous. It’s sad to know that it’s faded from the headlines of the paper. The fallout of the oil on wildlife will be apparent for a very long time. Your post does a good job of showing the reasons that oil is such a problem. Without knowing the background of the marine food chain, it’s hard to understand the lasting effects of the oil spill on wildlife, but your post accurately describes the increasing trouble with biomagnification. I agree that this is an important issue that should be discussed more. If the public is unaware of the issue, then there is less accountability for BP and those cleaning up the spill. Between the economic disaster (for fishing and tourist industries) and the ecological disaster, it really makes me think twice about America’s dependence on oil. We really need to put more funding into sustainable biofuels.
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