In 2013, dozens of dolphins living in Florida’s Indian River lagoon mysteriously began to die. Their remains were washed, indicating that the animals had lost weight. Now, ten years later, ecologists think they have figured out the strange cause of death.
Although long-standing deaths have been linked to huge algae blooms in the water, it has been impossible to determine exactly how the two events are connected until now, and it turns out that it is mainly human fault. This may be hard to believe, but obviously dumping large amounts of human waste and fertilizer onto the waterway may be bad.
As the ecologist in the diary pointed out Marine Science Fieldthe long-lasting phytoplankton flourished in 2011. The spread of small plant-like organisms has led to widespread changes in the ecology of the Indus lagoon. Their presence results in a reduction of seaweed in the water by more than 50%, while large algae lose 75% (known seaweed).
This alone won’t kill dolphins, but when ecologists examined the ratio of isotopes in teeth samples collected from the cadaver and compared them to teeth taken by 44 dolphins who never belonged to the death, they realized that their diet had changed dramatically. Dolphins have eaten 14% to 20% of Ladyfish, a key dolphin prey, but consume up to 25% of marine foam, and are a less nutritious fish. In essence, the presence of such a large number of phytoplankton reduces the amount of food the dolphins usually prey. As prey decreases, dolphins must capture more prey to consume the same energy. Those who died were not the dolphin populations in those areas felt that the effects were not. At that time, 64% of the dolphins observed were underweight, while 5% were classified as wasting.
“With combination, dietary shifts and the widespread presence of malnutrition suggest that dolphins are working to capture enough prey,” said Wendy Noke Durden, a research scientist at the Hubbs-Seaworld Research Institute. “The loss of key structural habitats may reduce overall foraging success by causing changes in prey abundance and distribution.”
Historic records prove this. According to records of records of the cause of death of stranded dolphins, hunger was the cause of death for 17% of dolphin deaths recorded between 2000 and 2020. In 2013, that number soared to 61%.
“Pytoplankton blooms are part of the production ecosystem,” said Charles Jacoby, director of strategic plans at the University of South Florida. “When the fuel entering the system’s fuel is unusually strong, extensive or long-term, it has harmful effects. In most cases, people’s activities drive these excessive loads. Managing our activities to keep nutrients safe is key to preventing flowering to prevent damage to the ecosystem’s bloom.”
This creepy discovery has a small silver lining. As the researchers pointed out, waste and other waste dumped in the Indus lagoon are gradually decreasing and are expected to reach safe levels by 2035.
Nevertheless, human activities can be harmful to ecosystems, from cutting shocking rainforests to melting polar ice to inadvertently introducing thousands of invasive species into new territory. This latest example shows that in addition to the obvious main effects, our habit of pouring divine knowledge into natural environments can also bring a wide variety of trick streams – including killing some of our most popular wildlife.
