• Question: how will pollution effect species reproduction?

    Asked by to Edward, Ian, Mathew, Naomi, sakshisharda on 20 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Naomi Osborne

      Naomi Osborne answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Pollution can be very bad for reproduction of sea life and animals on land. When we release pollutants into the sea (by putting cleaning products down the sink or toilet), fish can die stopping reproduction altogether.

      Pesticides used on crops can also reduce reproduction in insects including bees. Recently, bee numbers have been going down and it’s been found to be largely because pesticides change the behaviour of bees so they feed less, and lay less eggs. It’s really important we have enough bees because they help plants reproduce through pollination. Without pollination we’d have no fruit or vegetables and not enough food to feed everyone. So we really need to save the bees and reduce pollution!

    • Photo: Sakshi Sharda

      Sakshi Sharda answered on 20 Jun 2014:

      Hi shelby1

      Thats an interesting one! Pollution has a lot of side effects and one of them being that it causes faster ageing. This leads to dysfunction in the body and effects the quality of gametes in males and females. In fact, greater pollution effects the quality of the sperm and it’s swimming ability. Many studies have also shown that pollution affects fertility in males as well as in females. Pollutants also are harmful for the growing baby in the womb and may lead to very low birth weights and developmental abnormalities in children. Infact pollution can trigger cancer which is harmful for reproduction.

Comments