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The nutrient cycle is more often used in direct reference to the idea of an intra-system cycle, where an ecosystem functions as a unit. From a practical point, it does not make sense to assess a terrestrial ecosystem by considering the full column of air above it as well as the great depths of Earth below it.
Nutrient uptake by plants This diagram only shows the typical nutrient cycle of a terrestrial ecosystem. The size and thickness of the compartments and flows are not proportional to their actual size since the proportions vary from biome to biome, and from ecosystem to ecosystem.
This low biomass relative to photosynthetic material in aquatic ecosystems allows for a more efficient turnover rate compared to terrestrial ecosystems. [22] As phytoplankton are consumed by herbivores, their enhanced growth and reproduction rates sufficiently replace lost biomass and, in conjunction with their nutrient dense quality, support ...
An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by organisms in interaction with their environment. [2]: 458 The biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Ecosystems are controlled by external and internal factors.
A nutrient cycle is the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of matter. The process is regulated by the pathways available in marine food webs, which ultimately decompose organic matter back into inorganic nutrients. Nutrient cycles occur within ecosystems.
Generalized biogeochemical cycle [2] Simplified version of the nitrogen cycle. Energy flows directionally through ecosystems, entering as sunlight (or inorganic molecules for chemoautotrophs) and leaving as heat during the many transfers between trophic levels.
[6] [18] Most of the primary production in an ecosystem is not consumed, but is recycled by detritus back into useful nutrients. [54] Many of the Earth's microorganisms are involved in the formation of minerals in a process called biomineralization. [55] [56] [57] Bacteria that live in detrital sediments create and cycle nutrients and ...
Nutrient cycling is the movement of nutrients through an ecosystem by biotic and abiotic processes. [26] The ocean is a vast storage pool for these nutrients, such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. The nutrients are absorbed by the basic organisms of the marine food web and are thus transferred from one organism to the other and from one ...