BRAINCAKENatural and Artificial Fertilisers
In a natural ecosystem, minerals taken up by plants are returned to the soil when organisms die or produce waste and saprobionts decompose them. On a farm this cycle is broken. Crops are harvested and livestock are removed for sale, so the nitrates and phosphates they contain are taken away. Without replacement, the soil gradually loses these ions and yields fall.
Fertilisers are added to replace the nitrates and phosphates lost. There are two types.
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More in Nutrient Cycles
- Ammonification
- Nitrification
- Denitrification
- The Phosphorus Cycle
- Mycorrhizae
- Effects of Fertilisers on Productivity
- Leaching
- Eutrophication
All 13 lessons in Nutrient Cycles · All AQA A-level Biology topics