Nutrient Availability & Capture Flashcards
Soluble minerals (NO3-) diffuse towards root down
A concentration gradient and can therefore be captured with low root densities.
Peat soils form when plant
Productivity exceeds rate at which dead organic matter is oxidised.
Roots need to be in close
Contact with a mineral to absorb it.
Roots can exude chemicals that solulize nutrients in the soil by (3)
Acidifying the immediate environment.
This helps to dissolve mineral containing compounds.
Can be effective over a few mm to absorb nutrients.
Deciduous trees shed
Large amounts of nutrients with autumn leaves, including Ca2+ and Mg2+
Deciduous trees: nutrients are taken back up
In the spring and used during summer.
Deciduous trees: basic cations are
Mobile in solution. Winter rain washes them through the soil profile.
Deciduous trees: fallen leaves
Decompose rapidly and minerals are returned to the soil.
Deciduous trees: the constant element cycling makes
Nutrients more readily available, encouraging microbial activity and setting up a complex food web in the soil.
The availability of plant nutrients in a function of
Plant behaviour, with respect to nutrient recycling as it influences soil pH and development.
Low nutrient availability: adapt to ST strategy (4)
Slow decomp.
Few basic cations are released.
Small amount of profile mixing.
Nutrients are strongly conserved.
Insectivorous plants are an
Extreme adaption to the unavailability of soil nutrients.
Insectivorous plants capture
Insects for digestion by trapping them on sticky leaves, extracting nutrients from their tissues.
Mychorrhiza is a
Fungus root in partnership with a plant.
Mychorrhiza: can be a disadvantage when
Phosphorous is readily available in the soil.
