Freshwater ecosystems--structure and response.

Before it is possible to predict the impact of human activities on the natural environment it is necessary to understand the forces that drive and, therefore, control that environment. This paper is concerned with the freshwater component of the aquatic environment. The driving forces involved (some of which are under man's control) can be divided into the physical and the chemical, but the response is, almost entirely, biological. Although most impacts of the food processing industry might be perceived to be on running waters, this is not always the case, but we can apply the same basic rules to both static and running waters. The physical forces that determine how a lake functions are as follows. In early spring, in the temperate zone, the temperature of the surface water in lakes rises and the sunlight input increases. This results in stratification of the water body. The cooler, deeper water is separated, physically, by gravity. This isolated water plays a very different role in the function of the lake and is analogous to how a river works. Man's activities drive these systems by our input of inorganic and organic substances. The inorganic inputs, particularly of phosphorous, stimulate undesirable algal growths, some of which may produce particularly dangerous toxins. We must now accept that climate change, driven by man, will exacerbate these problems. Organic inputs from the food industry, i.e., carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins, will all impact lakes and rivers by increasing the biological oxygen demand. The worst case scenario is total loss of oxygen from the water as a result of microbial activity. Lipids create the greatest oxygen demand but carbohydrates (more easily biodegradable) also result in unsightly "sewage fungus." Protein waste can be degraded to produce ammonia and sulfide, both of which produce toxicity problems. Bioremediation processes, particularly phytoremediation, can alleviate these problems in a cost-effective manner and this paper will address these options. Copyright 2001 International Life Sciences Institute.