Notes on Biogeochemical Cycles and Ecology.pdf

phosphate is then used as fertilizer. This mining of phosphate and use of the phosphateas fertilizer greatly accelerates the phosphorous cycle and may cause localoverabundance of phosphorous, particularly in coastal regions, at the mouths of rivers,and anyplace where there is a lot of sewage released into the water (the phosphateplaced on crops finds its way into our stomachs and from there to our toilets). Localabundance of phosphate can cause overgrowth of algae in the water; the algae can useup all the oxygen in the water and kill other aquatic life. This is called eutrophication.The other animals that play a unique role in the phosphorous cycle are marine birds.These birds take phosphorous containing fish out of the ocean and return to land,where they defecate. Their guano contains high levels of phosphorous and in this waymarine birds return phosphorous from the ocean to the land. The guano is often minedand may form the basis of the economy in some areas.Return to Top of DocumentOverviewRoles of OrganismsEnergy Flow Through EcosystemsFood Chains and Webs - Pyramids - Biological MagnificationHuman vs. Natural Food ChainsBioGeoChemical Cycles - The Water Cycle - Carbon Cycle - Oxygen Cycle - Nitrogen Cycle -Phosphorous CycleEnvironmental Biology Top PageAbout SequencesAbout EcosystemsReturn to Biology Home PageReturn to McShaffrey Home Page