The ocean is polluted; that is not a little-known fact. However, the ocean may be more polluted than originally thought. New studies show that pollutants, though they may not be detectable using standard methods, can still badly influence the underwater world. Pesticides are one of the most potent of such pollutants. Recent laboratory tests provided that these hidden contaminants influence the growth and swimming behavior of ocean organisms, as well as their long-term effects on an entire ecosystem, its food web and its community structures.
The way this pollution manifests is in a fashion referred to as "sublethal effects". In this process, a small crustacean does not grow properly. This then can affect its reproduction and its ability to flee from predators or from changing temperatures. Both outcomes eventually have lethal effects.
All this shows that the effects humans have on their environments stretch further than believed, and that there is a long way to go before people are able to fully understand their full influence on the world.
http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/32771/
The way this pollution manifests is in a fashion referred to as "sublethal effects". In this process, a small crustacean does not grow properly. This then can affect its reproduction and its ability to flee from predators or from changing temperatures. Both outcomes eventually have lethal effects.
All this shows that the effects humans have on their environments stretch further than believed, and that there is a long way to go before people are able to fully understand their full influence on the world.
http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/32771/