Pollutants may damage organisms with lethal consequences (as described in Chapters 6 and 7). The effect on the population is then an in- crease in the mortality rate of at least one age class. Alternatively, there may be damage to or effects on, the machinery of reproduction resource acquisition and uptake. These effects are described in detail in this chapter. Where resource uptake is reduced, there are consequent reductions of birth rate and/or somatic growth rate (here, referred to jointly as "production rate), and these depress population growth rate.
Detoxication mechanisms generally use re- sources, including energy and these reso consequently not available for production. Thus, production likely to be reduced when detoxication occurs. The overall effects of de toxication mechanisms on production and mor. tality are considered at the end of this chapter. Note at this stage, however, that either damage or detoxication may result in reduced production in a polluted environment.