BIO330H5 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Ammonium Nitrate, Soil Ph, Lignin
Document Summary
Nutrients from dying leaves translocated to new ones. Herbivory is damaging because when animals are eating leaves, that prevents nutrients from being internally recycled. Most nutrients taken up from soil water as inorganic ions. Moving nutrients into root interior requires energy bc against concentration gradient. When nh4+ is taken in, it will kick out a proton to maintain charge balance: changes soil ph making it more acidic. Nutrients are usually taken up in solution. Atmospheric n2 is useless to most plants: has to come in through soil like other nutrients. Nitrogen is most limiting factor to plants. Most n in soil comes from decomposition of dead material. Mineralization = take organic matter and break down by decomposers to make nutrients available. Problem: decomposers need n for their own growth so they often retain it (immobilization) instead of liberating it and making it available to plants.
