Question

The Gulf of Mexico dead zone that forms each summer at the mouth of the Mississippi River is caused largely by the input of agricultural fertilizers that stimulate phytoplankton blooms, which die, and are subsequently consumed through bacterial decomposition. Decomposition consumes oxygen, leading to very low dissolved oxygen levels and subsequent death or emigration (i.e. leaving the area) of fish and other marine life. Many scientists advocate creating wetlands (as well as restoring them) as a strategy to reduce the severity and extent of the dead zone. The idea is that the plants in the wetlands will remove these nutrients from the water (during growth) and prevent their washing into the river and the Gulf of Mexico. Would the use of created wetlands be considered biotechnology

Answer 1

Yes; the use of created wetlands would be considered biotechnology.

Step-by-step explanation:

The created wetlands will employ the use of scientific tools and techniques, which will largely modify the plants, animals, and microorganisms in the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone. Generally, it has been established that biotechnology allows farmers to grow more food with environmentally sustainable farming techniques, which also improve soil conservation.

Answer 2

Yes, the use of created wetlands would be considered biotechnology.

Step-by-step explanation:

Biotechnology uses biological systems and living organisms to develop and create different products. The new wetland that they create will be made with the usage of scientific tools and techniques in order to replicate an already existing biological system. It will have very modified plants, animals and other organisms in the Gulf of Mexico's dead zone.