Nutrient cycle

What is nutrient?

-         Nutrient refers to all the chemical substances that an organism requires to live.

-          Every living organism needs nutrients to grow and carry out essential life function.

-          Example: water (H2O). Nutrients passed between organisms and environment through biogeochemical cycles.

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The food you eat contains energy, but it also contains important chemicals that sustain you. Together, all the chemical substances that an organism requires to live are called nutrients.

     In many ecosystems, nutrients are often in short supply. Thus, recycling nutrients is essential for these ecosystems to keep functioning. Nutrient cycling also prevents many chemicals from reaching concentrations that would otherwise be toxic, or harmful, to organisms. Three nutrient cycles play especially prominent roles in the biosphere: the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle.

     You may refer to other notes for the three nutrient cycles above.