Environmental Science 1021F/G Lecture 3: Lecture 3 Nutrients etc
9 Nov 2011
School
Department
Professor
Document Summary
Nutrients are any chemicals that are required for the proper functioning of organisms. Animals require organic nutrition the biomass of other organisms. Nutrient cycling refers to the transfers, transformations, and recycling of nutrients. A nutrient budget is a quantitative estimate of the quantities present in compartments and the fluxes (rates of movement) between them. Soil is an ecosystem comprised of inorganic material, organic matter, and a great diversity of organisms. It is derived from original parent materials, which over time are modified by climatic factors (especially percolating water) and organisms. Mature soils develop distinctive features that are dependent on local climatic conditions and the kind of ecological community in which they have developed. Chernozem a soil that develops in natural grasslands. Brown forest soil develops in temperate hardwood forest. Gleysol develops in cool temperate habitats that are periodically waterlogged. Soil horizons are distinctive layers that vary in their physical and chemical properties: Litter layer organic matter identifiable as plant litter.
