What is nutrient cycling? Discuss the significance of nutrient cycling. Discuss three aspects of nutrient cycles.

Explanation

Inorganic nutrients are obtained by autotrophs from their environment They become constituent of organic matter in which form they pass on to biotic components. These nutrients are returned to the abiotic environment through degradation of wastes and organic remains carried out by decomposers.
Nutrient Cycle. Involves storage and transfer of nutrients through various components of the ecosystem so that the nutrients arc repeatedly used. Blogeochemical cycle also denotes nutrient cycle but it is generally considered in a regional or global context.
Characteristics and Significance.
(I) It is a cycle where the nutrients are not lost from the system but are recycled again and again. 00 It operates through soil, water both., air and living organism. (iii) It converts the nutrients into usable form with the help of decomposers. So, the decomposers .1p in recycling of nutrients. (iv) It helps in maintaining the nutrient pool of earth.
Aspects of Nutrient Cycles. It has three components or aspects. (a) Input, (b) Output, (c) Internal nutrient cycling.
(a) Input or Influx of Nutrients. An ecosystem receives an input/6thx of nutrients from external sources and stores the same for use in biological processes. Inputer milux of nutrients is of four types : (i) wet deposition from rainfall (ii) dry deposition from dust fall WO biological nitrefic,fixation mut (iv) weathering of rocks.
Output or Efflux or Nutrients. It is loss of nutrients from an ecosystem due to runoff water (e.g.. Me). soil erosion. .nitrification, harvesting of crops, felling of trees, cattle grazing etc. In a stable ecosystem, the input and output of nutrients are minor and more or I.s balanced while great disturb an in the ecosystem make the nutrient cycles unbalanced and the ecosystem unstable.
Internal Nutrient Cycling. Nutrients present in the soil are absorbed by plants. The phenomenon is called uptake. A part of them A passed on to consumers through trophic levels. periodically , bound nutrients are made available to soil in the form of above ground detritus (leaf di, dry twigs, animal remains, face man , excretions) and underground detritus (e.g., dead roots). he nutrients are released from .trims through the activity of decomposers. In mature ecosystems, K amount of nutrient uptake is equal to amount of recycled nutrient. However, in young and rowing ecosystems, nutrients uptake is more so that a lot of nutrients are retained by the growing biomass of biota. Retention = Uptake-Recycle. By determining,. recycling nutrient retention, e capacity of nutrient recycling, nutrient input and nutrient output, the nutrient budget of an ecosystem can be computed.