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Water and BiodiversityHumans aren’t the only animals that need water. As our supplies of fresh water get smaller and smaller, whole river and lake ecosystems are being affected. Taking too much water out of rivers can cause natural wetlands to dry up. These wetlands, and the plants and animals that live in them, play an important role in water quality. They act like water-purifiers, cleaning the water that flows through them. Taking too much water out of streams and rivers also causes the water flow to slow down, and sometimes stop flowing all together. This allows run-off from farms containing fertilizers and animal waste to build up in concentration. Tiny plants, called algae, feed off these nutrients and spread very quickly, covering the surface of the water. This blocks out sunlight and reduces the amount of oxygen in the water, killing off plants and fish, and reducing the biodiversity in these areas. Acid rain caused by air pollution has also made the concentrations of acids so high in some lakes in Europe and here in North America that no living plants or animals can survive. More information on What is Biodiversity
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