Asked by cayden casto
An increase in the number of phytoplankton in an aquatic ecosystem is always beneficial. true or false
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False.
While phytoplankton are the base of aquatic food webs and their growth can boost productivity, an excessive increase (often from nutrient runoff) causes problems: harmful algal blooms that produce toxins (e.g., cyanobacterial microcystins, dinoflagellate toxins), oxygen depletion when blooms die and decompose (hypoxia/anoxia → fish kills, "dead zones"), reduced water clarity harming submerged plants, altered food webs, and negative impacts on fisheries, recreation, and drinking-water safety. In short, more phytoplankton can be beneficial up to a point, but uncontrolled increases are harmful.
While phytoplankton are the base of aquatic food webs and their growth can boost productivity, an excessive increase (often from nutrient runoff) causes problems: harmful algal blooms that produce toxins (e.g., cyanobacterial microcystins, dinoflagellate toxins), oxygen depletion when blooms die and decompose (hypoxia/anoxia → fish kills, "dead zones"), reduced water clarity harming submerged plants, altered food webs, and negative impacts on fisheries, recreation, and drinking-water safety. In short, more phytoplankton can be beneficial up to a point, but uncontrolled increases are harmful.
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