Directions: Use the information provided and your knowledge of Life Science to answer the following questions. Show all work where necessary.
Directions: Use the information provided and your knowledge of Life Science to answer the following questions. Show all work where necessary.
Every organism depends on the availability of key resources such as food, water, and oxygen. However, when those resources become too abundant, ecosystems can become unbalanced. In aquatic ecosystems, nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus are normally present in small amounts. When fertilizers or waste enter lakes or rivers, they dramatically increase these nutrient levels.
Algae, microscopic plant-like organisms, respond by growing rapidly - forming what’s called an algal bloom. At first, this seems beneficial, since algae produce oxygen during photosynthesis. But when the bloom becomes too dense, sunlight can’t reach deeper water. When the algae die, bacteria break them down - using up dissolved oxygen in the process.
As oxygen levels drop (a condition called hypoxia), fish and other aquatic life begin to die off. Thus, what began as increased resource availability (extra nutrients) ends up reducing biodiversity and harming populations - a powerful lesson in ecosystem balance.
Graph of Information - Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Using the table and Figure 1, describe how algae growth changes as nutrient levels increase.
Which conclusion is best supported by the data?
Explain how a sudden increase in nutrients entering a lake could affect other populations living in the ecosystem.
Why might algae populations decrease after extremely high levels of growth?
Compare algae growth in low-nutrient and medium-nutrient conditions. What does this suggest about resources as limiting factors?
Does the data support the claim that nutrient availability affects algae population size?
Claim:
Evidence:
Reasoning: