The Effect of Human Activity on the Abundance of Freshwater Microorganisms
Fatima Cubillas Flores
Biology Honors Period 5
Dr. Frank
21 November 2016
It is an undoubted fact that humans can impact the quality of water, and there has also been an immense increase in the need for water for survival in today’s society. Water is used for many purposes such as in manufactured goods, for the growth of food, for mere drinking, and for the production and use of energy (Gleick). The National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences in the U.S.A. suggests that humans get an average of one-and-a-half milliliters of water per calorie of food.. Bathing is suggested to need an average of 70 litres of water for every human being a day. 11.5 liters of water is on average used for food preparation a day; from this it becomes clear that freshwater sources are very important to the survival of the human race (Gleick). Water is so important to the survival of all organisms that as human activity increases in sources of freshwater, it calls to attention: How does human activity affect the abundance of microorganisms and water quality of the water?
The presence and variety of microorganisms in water accounts for most of the indicators of water quality. The presence of Coliform is a big indicator of fecal contamination in freshwater sources. Coliform bacteria is an organism that is naturally present in the human digestive tract; these tend to be rare and
Water contamination is vastly becoming an alarming issue across the world. We rely on clean water to survive, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. Changing climate patterns are threatening lakes and rivers, and key sources that we tap for drinking water are being overdrawn or tainted with pollution (www.nrdc.org). Clean and plentiful water is the cornerstone of prosperous communities. Yet as we enter the 21st century, swelling demand and changing climate patterns are
Today in medicine doctors are rapidly isolating and distinguishing the many pathogenic microbes encountered daily within the environment. Public health has been affected from the faster identification of microorganisms by delivering an accurate analysis to patients in order to receive treatment of the disease in a timely manner. Due to the growing understanding of these organisms more have been easier to indicate to improve water quality. Also more methods have been developed for better treatment options from fecal bacteria in public water systems. Scientist has developed such specific methods of identifying the unknown organism to tell if the contamination has come from either a human, bird, or mammal. (Achtman et al., 2008)
Water is all around us. This substance is of high importance to every living thing which is on planet earth. As much as we consider water to be life and the most important substance, still we don’t seem to appreciate it very much, as it is being wasted in such great amounts. Everyone believes that water will always be around but not taking into account that the majority of the water on planet earth are not for human consumption. Human beings can only survive on consuming fresh water. The percentage of
There is a water crisis which faces many parts of the world and it is a threat to survival of human beings since humans are primarily dependent on water. Shortage in drinking water is beginning to show its effects in first world countries, but is a current major problem facing lesser developed countries which have not taken drastic steps to harvest water and purify it to make it safe for human consumption. In developed countries the population growth has strained available water resources and stretched the ability of governments and private firms to provide safe drinking water to the vast majority of the population. Seventy one percent of
Water: a necessary facet to all living things. For animals, water can be a home or a drink. As for humans, the uses of water are endless. Not only do we use water as a beverage or washing clothes or dishes, but we also use water for toilets, various kinds of plumbing and other things that aren’t as easily identifiable. As of 2005, this 70% of our Earth has been manipulated and used for thermoelectric power (41.5%), irrigation (37%), domestic affairs (8.5%), public supply (5.4%), industry (5%) and aquaculture (2.6%).1 The importance of water is infinite, not only to our way of life, but also our lives. We need to drink water to ensure the health of individual cells of the body, lubricate joints, moisten mucous membranes of the organs and many other vital bodily functions.2 Not only do we expect the availability of water, but it is highly important to humans and all living things. Although it is such an integral part of our Earth, one may ask about some of its properties and characteristics.
A) Based on the data we got some groups had coliforms in their FR water sample but others did not. The same thing occurred with the ML water sample. This was determined by letting the bacteria grow colonies on an EMB plate and these colonial growths indicated that there were coliforms present in the water.
In comparison to the States Standards in table 10, Fecal Coliform for sites 7, 8, 9, 12, 17, and 18, all in the urbanize Buffalo Creek watershed have mean values of 1613.95, 1189.52, 2447.38, 3167.71, 1410.86, 1178.30 CFU/100ml respectively which are within the states watch zone for the 1999 to 2002 parameters. Subsequently, above normal levels were recorded for Buffalo Creek Watershed sites 9, 12, 15, 18 for 2003 to 2008, sites 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 for 2009 to 2010, and sites 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 for 2011 to 2013with fecal coliform concentrations of 1459.56, 1078.11,1340.28,1113.34; 1890.46, 1517.04, 4115.75, 1863.17, 1475.29, 2078.82, 2165.17, 1314.42, 1389.96, 4427.21, 4684.38, 2026.25; and 1172.76, 1928.00, 2507.14,
Bathers and others coming in interaction with dirty water at beaches and other recreational sites can become extremely ill. Beach closures caused by urban runoff have a adverse impact on the quality of life, and can obstruct economic development as well. Similarly, the bacterial contamination of shellfish beds poses a public health threat to consumers, and shellfish bed closures undesirably impact the fishing industry and local economies (Jacobs, J. and Ellis, J. B. , 1991) .Additionally other literature supports the above idea, The US EPA (1999a) thus, ‘’the significant real impacts of urban area and highway storm water runoff is caused by the high concentrations of faecal indicator organisms in the runoff waters. These organisms are a threat to the use of the receiving waters for domestic water supply and for contact recreation, such as swimming, wading, etc.’’. As part of its “beaches” program, is devoting significant attention to handling the sanitary quality
Thesis statement: Fresh and clean water is vital to the very existence of the human race.
What are faecal coliforms? These are microscopic bacteria which originate from human waste. In other words, the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Such bacteria often pollute water sources however in the case of the following article, faecal coliforms were found in the ice of the Starbucks food franchise. The issue with faecal coliforms is that their presence in water indicates the presence of other more dangerous bacteria, it is this more dangerous bacteria that causes water-borne diseases such as cholera or typhoid which is deadly. (Washington State
No matter how water came to exist on Earth, there is no denying that it has become the basis for life as we know it. From the largest animal, to the smallest microbe, water is essential. Microbes, in particular, have made water their homes and their diversity within these freshwater aquatic habitats was tested in this experiment and the hypothesis put forward was that cleaner water, pond B, contained a higher biodiversity as compared to dirty water. Water from two different freshwater ponds, A and B, was collected and placed in beakers, six slides of each water sample were prepared carefully and methyl cellulose was added so the movement of microbes could be inhibited. The entire section under the cover slip was viewed and no area was left out of view, this was done by using an overlap of view method. Organisms spotted were identified using a key and the names and numbers recorded. After all observations, a table was created and further information was extracted from the table and put into graphs. It was found that dirty water contained a high biodiversity than cleaner water and the original hypothesis put forward was rejected.
Acacia reservation is located at 41.5017° N, 81.4897° W longitude, latitude respectively. The reservation is located in the city of Lyndhurst. Lyndhurst is an eastern suburb of Cleveland and was originally apart of Mayfield. It is located in the county of Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States. The population was 14,001 at the 2010 census and is a total of 4.44 miles. The ratio of people per mile is approximately 3,153 per square mile, thus it has a relatively high density of people.
Human well-being is fundamentally dependent on ecosystems for the provisioning, cultural and regulating services that they provide (World Bank, 2007). Clean water is one of the critical resources provided to man by ecosystems. As such, the ecosystem concept has been elevated as a fundamental attribute for human development. Maintenance and access to ecosystem services has consistently been associated with better health and economic outcomes. Human health risks originate from traditional forms of pollution and broader pressures on ecosystems, ranging from reduction and degradation of freshwater resources, to the impacts of global climate change on natural disasters and agricultural production. However, unlike the more traditional hazards, the potential for emergence of new health and livelihood impacts is much greater with ecosystem pressures (Jong-Wook in Corvalan et al., 2005). These include changes in infectious patterns of disease outbreak, impacts on local food yields and freshwater supplies, impaired vitality of ecosystems, and loss of livelihoods.
Clean water is essential for life and a basic need for all humans. Water pollution is the destruction of water quality due to the addition of chemical or biological contents which cause detrimental effects to the life of humans, animals, and plants, making it unsuitable for use. The use of polluted water causes harm, disease, or death to living beings. Control measures and management are needed to reduce these effects, but at what cost? Clean drinking water in some parts of the world boils down to economics. How do we balance the need for clean drinking water to prevent death and disease against the expense to maintain clean water resources? Reducing the causes of water pollution can take many forms. Uncontrolled urbanization and industrial waste released into water sources are a few areas that need to be considered. Corrective and preventative measures incur extreme expense to governments, private industry, and individuals in urban planning; however, saving the lives of humans, animals, and plant life cannot be compared to a dollar figure.
It is a well-known fact that the existence of water is critical to life on Earth. The world has been set up in a way that makes mankind heavily dependent on water for cultivation, sanitation, transportation, and most importantly, survival. However, over the last two centuries, while revolutionary technologies and discoveries have raised the overall standard of living, water quality has deteriorated significantly. The United Nations (UN) estimate that the amount of waste-water produced annually is six times more than the water that exists in all the rivers of the world combined (UNWWAP, 2003). Unregulated discharge of organic chemicals from ranging from fertilizers and pharmaceuticals to personal health-care products have played a huge role in the current situation regarding water quality. If this downward trend continues, the immediate and distant future of the human race will be in jeopardy. Clean drinking water will become an expensive commodity, skin-related diseases will grow exponentially, and the destruction of aquatic life will trigger an unstable transformation in the food chain. While technological innovations have tried to address this problem, the lack of repercussions for pursuing personal interests for everyone ranging from farmers to a skin-care product-users has allowed the situation to worsen. The only permanent solution to this problem is to strictly regulate the contents of the products that eventually find their way back into the water stream, as well as