Many of you are you like The souvenir from the beach by the sea takes home the shells. Although it may seem like a harmless memento from your trip, According to scientists there are a number of reasons why you should rather leave them on the shore. This behavior can cause huge damage in the animal ecosystem.
People often collect shells from the beaches.
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Shells are very important
Beachcombing je Activity in which people are looking for a valuable, interesting or useful thing on the beaches. Often there are mussels, which serve as memorial artifacts for many visitors. But scientists noted that if this activity is done carelessly, it can cause a great disruption of coastal ecosystems.
examined the removal of shells from the beaches and came to the conclusion that it causes it Significant damage to many forms of life, especially those who need shells. It turned out that Seashs are important not only for birds that use them as a building material for their nestsbut also provide home for various organisms, including algae, sea grasses or crustaceans.
Are also a source of calcium carbonate that is can dissolve in seawater and recycle back into the ocean. “Muchle is remarkable in that they fulfill multiple functions in natural ecosystems“said Michal Kowalewski, head of the study and paleontologist from the Florida Museum. Other scientists say that The shells are also important for the hermits for which they serve as a primary source for survival.
This can cause problems in the ecosystem.
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For a reduced number of mussels can really people
Researchers also in the past They conducted several surveys from 1978 to 1981 and from 2008 to 2010 on the Spanish beach of Llargawhich is located approximately an hour by car from Barcelona. Their results have shown that the number of shells between two study periods decreased by up to 60 percent.
The team had suspected that The disappearance of shells was most likely caused by the influx of tourists to the area. This theory was also confirmed by the fact that their number was higher in the winter months when there were fewer visitors on the beach. “People can play an important role in changing habitats through activities that many perceive as harmless“added Kowalewski.
Another good reason you would they were not supposed to take home mussels, it is that in many parts of the world it is forbidden. In 2018, one woman even ended up in prison after taking 40 shells from Key Wastes Beach in Florida. The reason was that they contained Trombus’s shells huge, which, according to the US Act on endangered species, are described as protected.
