What Is Aquatic Ecology?

Aquatic ecosystem refers to the ecosystem composed of aquatic biological communities and the water environment. Aquatic ecosystems play a very important role in human living environment. On the one hand, it plays an important role in maintaining the global material cycle and water cycle; on the other hand, it also assumes functions such as water sources, power sources, transportation, and pollution purification sites. ^[1]

Aquatic ecosystem refers to the ecosystem composed of aquatic biological communities and the water environment. Aquatic ecosystems play a very important role in human living environment. On the one hand, it plays an important role in maintaining the global material cycle and water cycle; on the other hand, it also assumes functions such as water sources, power sources, transportation, and pollution purification sites.

The water body provides a basic place for the proliferation of aquatic organisms. Various organisms interconnect and maintain life through material and energy flows, forming an aquatic ecosystem. There are four types of components: producers, consumers, decomposers and non-biological substances. Non-biological substances refer to inorganic substances as raw materials for biological growth such as water, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients, and organic substances such as biological excrements and dead bodies. Producers refer to organisms that use light energy or inorganic substances to synthesize organic cellular matter, and are called primary producers. Typical producers in the aquatic environment are photosynthetic autotrophic algae and some aquatic plants. Also. Chemical synthesis of autotrophic nitrifying bacteria using oxidative energy also belongs to the category of producers. Consumers are heterotrophic organisms based on organic matter produced by producers, called predators. Plankton, fish, mammals, etc. are typical consumers. Among them, those who prey directly on producers are called primary consumers, those who prey on primary consumers are called secondary consumers, and so on. The decomposers are heterotrophic organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, actinomyces and protozoa, and some small invertebrates. They break down dead bodies and excreta into simple inorganic substances for reuse by producers.

The above shows that the materials necessary to sustain life are recycled in the ecosystem. In general, the organisms in water bodies are roughly divided into four major ecological groups: vertebrates, benthic organisms, plankton, and aquatic higher plants. They each constitute a very important life unit of the aquatic ecosystem, forming an intricate and interdependent food chain.

Various organisms in the food chain and the environment in which they live maintain an interdependent relationship through energy flow and material circulation. This relationship shows a stable state within a certain spatial range and time, that is, to maintain an ecological balance.

Natural water bodies have a limited natural purification capacity for certain substances discharged into them, which improves the quality of polluted water. However, if the pollutants are excessively discharged and exceed the environmental capacity of the water body, this function will be lost, resulting in deterioration of water quality.

After the water body is seriously polluted, it not only directly endangers human health. The first to suffer are aquatic life. Because in a normal aquatic ecosystem, various biological, chemical, and physical factors form a highly complex, interdependent and integrated whole, the relationship between species maintains a certain dynamic balance, that is, ecological balance. If this relationship is disturbed by human activities, such as water pollution, then this balance will be disrupted, causing changes in biological species, many sensitive species may disappear, and individuals of some tolerant species will multiply. If the level of pollution continues to develop and intensify, it will not only lead to the continuous decline of aquatic biodiversity, but also the structure and function of aquatic ecosystems will be destroyed in the end, and its impact will be far-reaching.