Question

How are land animals affected by pH? If zooplankton so important, then why then do non-government organizations (or charities) tend to depict keystone predators?

Please answer in at least 150 words.

Answer 1

Effect of pH on land animals: The high pH of acidic rain can damage the soil layers thereby leaching aluminium into the soil particles and introducing higher amounts of aluminum into the ecosystem. Younger animals are more sensitive to pH than adults and the change in pH can lead to an extinction of species. In addition, change in pH also interferes with the growth and uptake of nutrients of plants from the soil. Food web consisting of animals grazing the plants affected by pH change is harmful and can sometimes lead to their death.

Zooplankton are the intermediary in the food web that transfer the energy from primary producers to higher aquatic organisms. Also these organisms are sensitive to environmental disturbances and the effect of the same can be analysed through abundance, composition, and body size distribution of zooplankton.