Describe at least 3 effects of oil spills on marine organisms and the marine environment. What ...

Oil spills harm marine organisms and environments in a number of ways. Oil is toxic to many species that ingest the oil directly or through their food. This can have severe effects on the immune, reproductive and other systems of these animals. Oil can also have a clogging effect on the feeding apparatus of benthic and planktonic animals, indirectly killing these animals by starvation. Oil is known to kill birds and mammals such as otters by removing their means of insulation, which results in death to these animals by exposure. In addition to its effects on animals, oil can coat coastlines, thereby rendering them uninhabitable to marine organisms. This could also result in larger ecological effects by reducing species diversity and altering the species composition of an area.