Effect of environmental pollution on animals
Effect of air pollution on animals:-
1. Altered animal behavior:- An increasing number of studies demonstrated that pollutants can trigger bizarre behavior in animals. For example, endocrine disruptors, heavy metals, and PCBs have a direct influence on the social and mating behaviors of animals.
2. Diseases and Mortality:- In most cases, the effect is indirect but slowly kills animals by disrupting biological processes. Air pollutants disrupt endocrine function, cause organ injury, increase vulnerability to stresses and diseases, lower reproductive success. Prolonged exposure to air pollutants can increase the expression of markers of neurodegenerative disease pathologies.
3. Biodiversity loss:- Air pollution is a major driving force changing the basic structure and function of ecosystems. For example, excess deposition of airborne nitrogen (N) in the form of ammonia is among the main stressors to biodiversity. Biodiversity is critical for animals because an impairment can result in alterations in the food chain and loss of certain species. Biodiversity loss can also increase the risk of infectious diseases.
4. Change in species distribution:- Industrial air pollution can cause a change in the abundance of a particular species. For example, the loss of certain fish species due to higher aluminum levels may allow insect species to increase, which may in turn benefit ducks that feed on insects. But this loss could be detrimental to eagles, ospreys, and other animals that depend on fish as their food.
Effect of water pollution on animals:-
> Chemical contaminants carried by industrial wastes kill a lot of smaller aquatic organisms, such as frogs, fish, tadpoles, etc. This, in turn, causes a loss of food source for bigger aquatic creatures, leading them to either consume poisoned, dead fish and perish, or leave their natural habitat to go in search of food in other aquatic quarters. Often, this leads to sickness and death of these animals due to the inability to adapt to changed water temperatures, unfavorable tides, as well as exposure to new predators.
> An excess of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus in the water, leads to an increased growth of toxic algae and aquatic plants, that cause poisoning and death in fish and other animals who feed on them.
> Presence of huge quantities of mercury in water has led to a lot of undesirable changes in aquatic species. Too much mercury leads to hormonal imbalances and glandular damage, leading to abnormal behavioral shifts. Also, mercury is a toxic metallic chemical that gives a huge blow to the reproductive functions, growth and development of animals, that are continuously exposed to high doses of it.
> Oil spills that introduce unhealthy amounts of oil into the marine environment also make marine animals sick and lead to their unnatural deaths.
> Dumping solid trash such as plastic, metallic scrap, garbage, etc., may block aquatic channels, and can also cause small animals to get trapped in the debris. Most water-dwelling animals tend to suffocate or drown on being trapped and unable to swim.
> Polluted water used for irrigation also contaminates the soil and the agricultural produce. This may lead to health issues in herbivorous animals who feed on agricultural plants and leftovers.
> These pollutants can radically alter the metabolism of a number of soil-dwelling bacteria and insects, making them perish or unsuitable for consumption by common predators of the local ecosystem.
> Atmospheric pollutants may get mixed with clouds and fall back on earth as acid rain. This toxic shower is potent enough to inflict mortal injuries to any life form that gets exposed to it.
Effect of noise pollution on animals:-
> Animals rely heavily on sounds to communicate, to find food, avoid predators etc.
> Pets react more aggressively due to exposure to constant noise. They become disoriented more easily and face many behavioral problems.
> Overexposure to high intensity of noise affects the hearing ability of many animals.
> Man-made noise affects mating calls and echolocation. This leads to reduction in survival and reproduction rates.
> At an ecosystem level, noise pollution could lead to migration of animals. Their migration can affect the crop production. Because many animals such as bats pollinate bananas, peaches, agave and other cash crops.