Mineral Nutrients/ Soil Flashcards
Essential elements
necessary for plant growth and reproduction-without them, plants cannot complete their life cycles
Beneficial elements
elements that might not be necessary but help the plant thrive
Macronutrients
required in relatively large quantities (usually >0.1% of dry biomass)
Micronutrients
required in small quantities (usually < 0.01% of dry biomass)
Plant macronutrients
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Sulphur, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium
Plant micronutrients
Iron, Sodium, Manganese, Copper, Zinc, Molybdenum, Boron, Chlorine
Anions
for ex., Phosphorous (H2PO4-), Nitrogen (NH4+), and Chlorine (Cl-)
Cations
such as Calcium (Ca2+), Magnesium (Mg2+), and iron (Fe 3+ or Fe 2+)
- Often bound to negatively charged clay particles or organic acids
-Requires cation exchange; plant releases H+ to free cations (either by releasing CO2 or through proton pumps)
Proton Pumps
uses ATP to pump H+ outside of the cell- generating a potential difference (over 100mV). This pulls cations (such as K+) into the cell. Cations are accumulated against concentration gradient
Ion Channels
can open and close to regulate passage of specific ions.
The challenges of absorbing anions
-The potential difference generated by the proton gradient would keep anions out of the cell.
-However, H+ ions form complexes with anions which can be pulled into the cell via the appropriate channels
- Also, because anions are not attracted to clay or organic acids, they can leech from soils Nitrates and Phosphates are common causes of eutriphication
As plants actively take up minerals, they get depleted from the rhizosphere and need to be replenished. This can occur via:
- Bulk water flow due to transpiration-ions in solution move with the water
- Diffusion - ions move down their concentration gradient
- Root growth - the uptake of water and minerals occurs just behind the root tip.
Calcium is very important for
the middle lamella an developmental signaling
Phosphorous is necessary to
synthesize nucleic acids and phospholipids, as well as ATP!
Potassium and chlorine help
regulate stomatal opening and closing as well as the activation of many enzymes
Magnesium, zinc, nickel, copper, and manganese all function as
cofactors for different enzymes
Symptoms of nutrient deficiency depend on the specific nutrient and the degree of deficiency
Chrlorosis (yellowing of leaves) , Necrosis ( tissue death), Stunted/ slow growth
The Haber - Bosch process
Industrial process for producing ammonia developed by Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch in the early 20th century
Soil quality
(along with climate) is a major determinant of plant distribution
Soil consists of
(a) organic matter, (b) inorganic mineral matter, (c) water, and (d) air
Organic material is
dark-colored because it contains humus (partially decayed matter with organic acids) humus increases nutrient content, water retention, and aeration
