Describe the functioning of the ecosystem ( animals , plant , biophysical interactions ).
Interaction : A string of volcanoes and areas of seismic activity border The Pacific Ocean , known as ‘ The Ring of Fire ’. The horseshoe shaped zone extends 40 , 000 kilometres with approximately 452 volcanoes scattered from the southern tip of South America to New Zealand . The Ring of Fire is the result of several tectonic plates , all apart of the lithosphere . The tectonic plates located in these geologically active zones , are constantly moving resulting in natural disasters such as earthquakes , tsunamis and volcanoes . These disasters can result in effects such as disturbed currents .
Interaction : Bioaccumulation refers to the build-up of substances such as chemicals within an organism . This process takes place when an organism absorbs a possibly toxic substance at a faster tare than the substance is lost by catabolism and excretion . Creatures living in the deepest parts of the Pacific Ocean such as shrimp can contain high levels of man-made toxins . Crustaceans such as Hirondellea gigas are polluted by PCB ’ s ( contaminants in the water ). Recently , PCB levels were reordered to be 50 times higher than in crabs in one of China ’ s most polluted rivers . Bioaccumulation is the result of human impacts however effects both the hydrosphere and biosphere . The impact of these contaminants could potentially cause not only damage to the marine wildlife , but also cancer and damage to reproductive and immune systems in humans .
Interaction : Overfishing takes place when more fish are caught than the population can replace through natural reproduction . This practice can result in an imbalance to the life in the oceans and the ecosystems . The poor management of illegal fishing and overfishing can have detrimental impacts on the environment . The fishing can cause food chains to be disordered resulting in an increased growth of some organisms such as algae and a decrease in fish such as tuna . Further , coastal communities across the world may depend on fish as their primary source of protein . Overfishing threatens this source as it causes reduced security , particularly in developing countries . This interaction depletes diversity in the biosphere however is gaining attention from organisations such as WWF .
Explain why this ecosystem needs protection ( refer to linkages , biodiversity , location and / or extent ).
The Pacific Ocean requires protection in order to conserve its marine wildlife and prevent further damage to the area . The extent of the ecosystem is extremely large meaning it is more resilient than smaller ecosystems . However due to the resources , biodiversity and intrinsic values of the ecosystem , it must be protected . If the ecosystem is not protected , linkages in food chains will continue to deplete essentially resulting in the failure of the ecosystem . Further , many animals such as the blue whale which are endangered may become extinct resulting in detrimental damage to both the ecosystems linkages and the tourism industry that is existent due to the whale itself . The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world ’ s ocean basins therefore it is vital that the ecosystem is protected .