Nutrient Cycle
What is 'Detritus food chain'?
Detritus food chain is the type of food chain that starts with dead organic materials. The dead organic substances are decomposed by microorganisms. The organisms that feed on dead organic matter or detritus, are known as detritivores or decomposers.
Is the decomposition rate faster in ponds or oceans?
Ponds
What are examples of organic fertilizers?
Compost, manure, bone meal, blood meal, and seaweed.
Detritus food chain has .......... energy flow compared to other food chains.
continuous
How could an aquatic ecosystem change if allochthonous carbon inputs are drastically reduced?
It will reduce the energy supply for heterotrophic organisms, thus leading to lower biodiversity, disrupted food webs, and diminished ecosystem productivity in the long term.
What is the term that describes a drop in soil pH because of excessive use of inorganic fertilizers, negatively affecting nutrient availability and soil health?
Soil acidification
In forest ecosystems, this term refers to the process where decomposed organic material returns nutrients to the soil, often influenced by organisms such as fungi and bacteria.
Mineralization
How might climate change-induced shifts in ocean temperature and acidity disrupt marine food webs, particularly affecting species at the bottom of the chain
Coral bleaching, disruption of plankton populations, and the loss of primary producers, leading to ecosystem collapse.
What is the common consequence of organic fertilizers, if not applied properly?
Nutrient runoff
What environmental factors might contribute to the difference in decomposition rate between a tropical rainforest and a desert?
Temperature, moisture, and microbial activity
How do anthropogenic agricultural inputs affect the overall efficiency of a nutrient cycle?
Since anthropogenic inputs stimulate microbial activity, the excess amount of nitrogen and phosphorus reduces the efficiency.
How will the ecosystem change if the soil depends more on fertilizers and less on natural nutrients?
It will disrupt the nutrient cycle and lead to nutrient imbalances. Over time, relying on fertilizers will degrade soil health, reduce biodiversity, and become unsustainable.
What long-term ecological impacts could happen because of human activities (agriculture and deforestation) that disrupt natural decomposition?
Soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, or reduced nutrient cycling
Allochthonous carbon source
Why do organic fertilizers generally release nutrients more slowly than inorganic fertilizers?
Organic fertilizers need to be broken down by soil organisms before plants can absorb the nutrients.