I have just received news that the effects of the oil spill on the environment are huge! It destroyed microbial populations on the shoreline. Thousands of animals died such as, 250,000 to 500,000 seabirds, at least 1,000 sea otters, and 250 bald eagles. Many organisms such as plankton are the basis of the costal marine food chain, while others like fungi and bacteria are capable of facilitating biodegradation of oil. Ducks and Sea Otters have higher death rates partially because they ingested prey from contaminated soil and ingestion of oil residues on hair due to grooming.