Scientists Say Gulf Spill Altering Food Web

Some plants and animals can withstand abrupt changes in their environment, and scientists predict long-term, even permanent changes in some habitats of the Gulf of Mexico. The oil spill forces life forms to contend with more chemicals along with less sunlight and oxygen. All life depends on other life to live – disruptions in food chains and habitat can wipe out food sources for some species or increase populations of others, increasing stress and competition. As Matthew Brown and Ramit Plushnick-Masti report for the Associated Press, as reprinted by SanLuisObispo.com: “If such impacts continue, the scientists warn of a grim reshuffling of sealife that could over time cascade through the ecosystem and imperil the region's multibillion-dollar fishing industry.” – YaleGlobal