BSCI 207 Lecture 21: BSCI207 - Lecture 21 - Nutrient Assimilation in Plants Continued
26 Jan 2016
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Bsci207 - lecture 21 - nutrient assimilation in plants continued. Ponds eutrophying, manure jump starts that eutrophication. Plants limited in growth by nutrients (such as nitrogen), but when they"re exposed to manure, this burst of nutrients causes massive algal blooms. Bloom of algae blocks light for organisms below. As algae dies, they sink to the bottom and are broken down by bacteria using up all the oxygen in the water. Bacterial decay of algae sucks oxygen out of water. Anoxia results when eutrophication occurs and algal populations increase dramatically. Vast number of soil organisms break down organic material in soil, freeing up nutrients - and some have very important mutualistic relationships with plants. Mutualism between fungi and roots of plants. Plants capture energy from sun and make carbohydrates (source of energy) Fungal partner gets organic compounds such as sugars and amino acids from plant. Fungal partner has huge surface to volume ratio and ability to penetrate fine structure of soil.
