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Humans Modify Nutrient Cycles 2018-1

The document discusses the role of nutrients in natural environments and how they are cycled through ecosystems, particularly in tropical rainforests. It highlights the impact of human activities, such as logging and farming, on nutrient cycles, leading to soil erosion, reduced soil fertility, and disturbances in biophysical processes. Additionally, it addresses the issue of eutrophication caused by nutrient runoff, which can lead to hypoxia and negatively affect aquatic life.

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Mostafa Chopan
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4 views

Humans Modify Nutrient Cycles 2018-1

The document discusses the role of nutrients in natural environments and how they are cycled through ecosystems, particularly in tropical rainforests. It highlights the impact of human activities, such as logging and farming, on nutrient cycles, leading to soil erosion, reduced soil fertility, and disturbances in biophysical processes. Additionally, it addresses the issue of eutrophication caused by nutrient runoff, which can lead to hypoxia and negatively affect aquatic life.

Uploaded by

Mostafa Chopan
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Environmental change and the role of

nutrients in natural environments


Quick review: Always remember, the spheres of the biophysical
environment are storages of nutrients and potential energy.

ATMOSPHERE
BIOSPHERE HYDROSPHERE
LITHOSPHERE
Processes act as “transfers” of nutrients between them, driven
by energy. Processes such as precipitation, runoff, and
photosynthesis illustrate how the natural environment
“functions”.
Modifications to Nutrient Cycles
The most common nutrients studied in natural
environments/ecosystems are:
- carbon
- oxygen
- nitrogen
- phosphorous

All living things in natural environments are really storages of


nutrients and energy. Living things cannot grow without
nutrients.
Therefore, nutrients are part of all food webs and they are
moved through them via energy from the sun.
Terrestrial ecosystem Nutrient Cycling
Nutrient Storage in atmosphere : Carbon dioxide, nitrogen (nitrogen
only absorbed by legumes)

Nutrients move through food


web via trophic (feeding) levels

Plants, through photosynthesis and photolysis and powered by solar


energy, take up nutrients from the physical environment (soil,
water/dissolved nutrients) and atmosphere)

Lithosphere Nutrient Storage in soil


Typical food web occurring naturally
Nutrients are
combinations of
chemical
elements
essential to life
in ecosystems.
Nutrients are
part of all food
webs and they
are moved
through them
via energy from
the sun.
Biophysical processes and nutrients
The case of tropical rainforests
Water
Trees and
There
Sub-soil asolar
“cycle” energy
moisture
is nutrients
massive are are
&
nutrient
poor
plentiful
storage
because TRFs.
maintainininofthe Thisbiomass
precipitation.
forest
“leaching” allows
after
huge transfers
and rapid
heavy rain.decay of(“cycling”)
Forest solar
coverenergy
and
into
backchemical
roots to plantsform
minimise via (plant
humus.
excess fibre)
runoff
and prevent soil erosion.
The case of tropical rainforests

The forest is so biodiverse


that the “producer”
organisms support the most
productive biodiverse
terrestrial animal
community on earth.
Nutrient cycling in Ecosystems
So what happens when human activities create
“modifications” ? Human activities like logging and
farming …
At
Logging and farming involve habitat
ecosystem removal / destruction which entails…
or biome
scale: Deforestation or natural vegetation
removal, which means…

Changes to nutrient storages and cycling, and therefore


natural processes.… How is this so?...
Human activities, & “modifications” to processes and nutrients
The case of tropical rainforests (TRFs)
 interception / infilt’n
Deforestation Soil “robbed” of =  and accelerates runoff
for logging & humus layer &
=  soil erosion
farming chance to cycle
removes nutrients =  sedimentaion in
nutrient store. streams, +
Natural “cycle”
is broken.  trees =  evapotranspiration
(recycling of moisture to Atmos.)
…and this is what it looks like… =  precipitation
Human induced disturbances to nutrient cycles and
natural processes – the case of tropical rainforests

…the When
Increased
watersoil
flowerosion
slows down,
after heavy
the sediment
rain causes
drops
rivers
out to
of become
the water,
delicate settling
more turbid
as mud and the river becomes blocked with silt (sediment)
balance in
the
ecosystem
has been
upset. Now
all
biophysicalp
rocesses
are
disturbed.
The cause – effect relationships between human
activities, & “modifications” to processes and nutrients
The case of tropical rainforests (TRFs)
So what happens after the first couple of years of crops or grazing
or palm oil farming?
Key :  Means reduced or depleted;  Means increased
 nutrient cycling between the biosphere and lithosphere
 soil fertility after a few harvests
 pressure to move to new areas of TRF to begin again
 Rainfall as rainforests are removed and replaced

Watch the following clip on clearance of part of the Amazon rainforest


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsIB81sLe2w
The cause – effect relationships between human
activities, & “modifications” to processes and nutrients
Across the world, farmers add fertilizers to their soils
Sewage
and largeeffluent and fertilizer
urban places releaserunoff addeffluent
sewage nutrients like
into
nitrates
waterwaysandand
phosphates to waterways
adjacent coastal areas and waterbodies
The cause – effect relationships between human
activities, & “modifications” to processes and nutrients
Nutrient enrichment of a river Eutrophication causes
or coastal area is a problem “hypoxia” – reduced oxygen
known as eutrophication in a river, often leading to
large scale “fish kills” which
in turn become toxic once
decay sets in.

How may other biota in “neighbouring” marine


ecosystems be affected ? (Think of coral reefs).
You are at the end of the powerpoint.

Can you can answer these questions:

1. How human activities alter nutrient cycles in


tropical rainforests?

2. How disturbances to nutrient cycles affect life


and the abiotic environment in tropical
rainforests and beyond?

3. What is it eutrophication is and why it is a


problem?

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