Knowra Nutrient cycling Nutrient cycling Nutrient cycling is the movement and reuse of chemical elements between organisms and the nonliving environment. Decomposition, biological uptake, and physical transport keep these elements available across ecosystems.
Biogeochemical cycle : A pathway by which chemical elements circulate among living organisms, the atmosphere, water, and Earth’s crust. Nutrient cycling is the ecosystem-scale expression of these element pathways.
Nutrient pool : A reservoir of a chemical element in a defined ecosystem compartment, such as soil, water, or biomass. Cycles describe transfers among these reservoirs.
Nitrogen cycle : The movement of nitrogen among the atmosphere, organisms, soils, and waters through biological and chemical processes. Nitrogen illustrates how fixation, uptake, decomposition, and loss connect cycle stages.
Primary production : The formation of organic matter by organisms that use light or chemical energy. Nutrient supply can limit the rate at which ecosystems build biomass.
Nutrient limitation : A restriction of organism or ecosystem growth caused by insufficient supply of one or more nutrients. Researchers test how changing supplies alter growth and element cycling.
Decomposition : The breakdown of dead organisms and organic matter into simpler substances by organisms and physical processes. It returns nutrients locked in organic matter to forms that can re-enter ecosystems.
Nutrient flux : The rate at which a substance moves between reservoirs or across a boundary. Fluxes quantify how quickly nutrients move through the cycle.
Phosphorus cycle : The movement of phosphorus through rocks, soils, water, and organisms, with no major atmospheric reservoir. Its limited gaseous phase makes phosphorus cycling especially tied to soils and sediments.
Limiting nutrient : A nutrient in shortest supply relative to an organism’s needs, restricting growth or production. Unequal nutrient availability determines which elements constrain ecosystem productivity.
Stoichiometry : The quantitative relationships among chemical elements in compounds, reactions, or organisms. Element ratios help explain when nutrient supply mismatches biological demand.
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