The nutrient cycling :

         Summary 

The nutrient cycle describes how nutrients move from the physical environment into living organisms, and subsequently are recycled back to the physical environment. This movement of nutrients, essential for life, from the environment into plants and animals and back again, is a vital function of the ecology of any region. In any particular environment, the nutrient cycle must be balanced and stable if the organisms that live in that environment are to flourish and be maintained in a constant population (MARTIN 2010). Currently, large parts of humankind influence the nutrient cycle in such a way that we remove nutrients from the land and discharge them into aquatic environments. On the one hand, this leads to soil depletion on the land, and on the other hand, an overabundance of nutrients and pollution of water sources.

Nature's nutrient cycling :




Soil plays a crucial role in nature’s cycles, including the nutrient cycle, which involves how much soil organic matter — i.e. carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus — is taken up and stored in soil. Organic compounds, such as leaves and root tips, are broken down to simpler compounds by organisms living in soil before they can be used by plants. Some soil bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into mineral nitrogen, which is essential for plant growth. Fertilisers introduce nitrogen and phosphates to induce plant growth but not all amounts are taken up by plants. The excess can enter rivers and lakes and affect life in these water ecosystems.


Nutrient Cycling in Forest Ecosystems:

In forest environments, the nutrient cycle involves animals, plants, fungi and bacteria living above- and below-ground (the soil is alive!), as well as mineral components of soil, dead leaves and wood, and water from rain and snowfall. Trees and other plants take up mineral and non-mineral nutrients from the soil through their roots. These nutrients are stored in the leaves, flowers and other parts of plants. The nutrients are either transferred to animals when animals eat the plants or they are transferred back into the soil. For instance, when plants and animals die, arthropods, earthworms, fungi and bacteria in the soil break them down. Arthropods are insects such as mites. Arthropods and earthworms grind up the decaying material and they mix this material with the soil. Fungi can break apart some of the more complex compounds and break them down into smaller components. All of these organisms ultimately consume and respire much of the material back into carbon dioxide gas, which is why it disappears over time.


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