47 Bloomin' Algae-Low

Bloomin Algae FOCUS Question How does an unbalanced ecosystem cause blooms of algae to form?

布鲁明藻类焦点问题不平衡的生态系统是如何导致藻类大量繁殖的?

What's That Green Stuff? Have you ever visited a pond in spring or summer? You may have seen green stuff floating on the water's surface. What is that murky stuff? It's algae! Algae are a group of organisms with thousands of different species. They're not plants or animals. But like plants, they use photosynthesis. That means they make their own food from sunlight, water carbon dioxide, and chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a chemical that causes many types of algae and plants to be green. Some algae are one-celled organisms. You would need a microscope to see them. Other types have many cells. These types sometimes grow to a huge size. Algae may not seem exciting. But they have a very important job. Tiny algae are at the base of aquatic food webs. This means they produce the food that many other organisms depend on. These producers are food for animals that eat algae and plants. The plant-eating animals are often food for meat eaters. Without the producers at the base of the food web, no one would have anything to eat! Word Wise The word algae (AL-jee) is plural for alga (AL-guh). a single organism.

那绿色的东西是什么?你曾经在春天或夏天参观过池塘吗? 你可能看到水面上漂浮着绿色的东西。 那个浑浊的东西是什么?海藻!藻类是一组有成千上万种不同种类的生物。 它们不是植物或动物。 但和植物一样，它们也利用光合作用。 这意味着它们用阳光、水、二氧化碳和叶绿素制造自己的食物。 叶绿素是一种使多种藻类和植物变绿的化学物质。 有些藻类是单细胞生物。 你需要用显微镜才能看到它们。 其他类型有很多细胞。 这些类型有时会长得很大。 藻类似乎并不令人兴奋。 但他们有一项非常重要的工作。 微小的藻类是水生食物网的基础。 这意味着它们生产许多其他生物所依赖的食物。 这些生产者是以藻类和植物为食的动物的食物。 食草动物通常是肉食者的食物。 没有食物链底部的生产者，没有人会有东西吃!藻类(AL-jee)是藻类(AL-guh)的复数形式。 一个单一的有机体。

Algae are important for another reason, too. Through photosynthesis, they make oxygen. Humans and almost all other organisms need oxygen to stay alive. We depend on algae and plants for this precious resource.

藻类的重要还有另一个原因。 通过光合作用，它们制造氧气。 人类和几乎所有其他生物都需要氧气来维持生命。 我们依靠藻类和植物来获取这种宝贵的资源。

Algae Out of Balance Algae need water, sunlight, and certain nutrients— especially nitrogen and phosphorus—to grow Sometimes the nutrients become too plentiful. Then algae can grow too fast. They build up and create blooms. Algal (AL-gull) blooms can cause problems for other living things. They are a sign that the ecosystem is out of balance. The main cause of harmful algal blooms (HABs) is nutrient pollution in oceans and lakes. This problem occurs when too much nitrogen and phosphorus get into the water.

藻类生长需要水、阳光和某些营养物质——尤其是氮和磷——有时营养物质会变得过于充足。 这样藻类就会生长得太快。 它们不断累积，形成花朵。 海藻(al - gul海鸥)的繁殖会给其他生物带来问题。 它们是生态系统失衡的标志。 有害藻华(HABs)的主要原因是海洋和湖泊的营养物污染。 当过多的氮和磷进入水中时，就会出现这个问题。

Dangers to Life Forms Harmful algal blooms can create dead zones in oceans or lakes. In dead zones, the water does not contain enough oxygen to support most living things. Animals living near dead zones must leave the area or die. Where does the oxygen go? As algae complete their life cycle, they die. Bacteria break down the dead algae. During this process, bacteria use some of the oxygen in the water. In HABs, the increase in algae growth results in more dead algae. Then more bacteria use up more of the oxygen to break down all the dead algae.

有害的藻华会在海洋或湖泊中造成死亡区。 在死亡区，水中的氧气不足以维持大多数生物的生命。 生活在死亡区域附近的动物必须离开，否则就会死亡。 氧气去哪里了?当藻类完成它们的生命周期时，它们就会死亡。 细菌分解死藻类。 在这个过程中，细菌会消耗水中的一些氧气。 在赤潮中，藻类生长的增加导致更多的藻类死亡。 然后更多的细菌消耗更多的氧气来分解所有的死藻类。

Algae Toxins Some HABs are harmful because the algae make poisons called toxins. The toxins are released when the algae die. These poisons can kill fish and other animals. Sometimes small fish absorb the toxins. These fish are food for other animals. As the toxins travel up the food web, they can kill larger animals such as birds, turtles, and dolphins. Humans can come in contact with these toxins through drinking water, showering, swimming, and boating. The toxins can cause rashes and nervous system problems. They can even make it hard to breathe.

一些赤潮有害，因为藻类会产生毒素。 藻类死亡时毒素就会释放出来。 这些毒药可以杀死鱼和其他动物。 有时小鱼会吸收毒素。 这些鱼是其他动物的食物。 随着毒素进入食物链，它们可以杀死鸟类、海龟和海豚等大型动物。 人类可以通过饮水、洗澡、游泳和划船接触这些毒素。 毒素会导致皮疹和神经系统问题。 它们甚至会让人呼吸困难。