The biodiversity of a stream determines the quality of your water

"The diversity of a natural habitat allows clean up pollutants which are released into the environment, so the loss of biodiversity caused by the extinction of species, could jeopardize the ability of the planet to clean what humans mess"explains Bradley Cardinale, author of the study and Professor at the University of Michigan (USA).

Cardinale analyzed 150 models varied of streams in miniature that simulated natural streams. In each, he cultivated between one and eight species of algae (diatoms and green) and measured the ability of each community of algae to absorb nitrate, a compound of nitrogen which contaminates the nutrients from the water. The results showed how much more wealth of species he had in the stream, more nitrates absorbed: eight algae eliminated nitrate at a speed of 4.5 times greater than that which did a single one.

The distribution of ecological functions (niches) of each species within one environment makes the biodiversity-rich streams filter better contaminants. The experiments showed that every species of alga adapted to a particular area of their Habitat and turned it into their ecological niche.

Few more algae were added, more area of Habitat was used, which contributed to the streams become 'sponge' with greater capacity for absorption and storage of nitrates.

Nitrate is present in many fertilizers and agricultural land, whose particles are extended to streams, lakes and coastal areas, so it becomes one of the main causes of the degradation of the quality of the water around the world.