nutrient

Examples of nutrient in the following topics:

• Limitation of Microbial Growth by Nutrient Supply

  • Essential nutrients are nutrients absolutely required by an organism.
  • Two categories of essential nutrients are macro- and micro-nutrients.
  • In regard to required nutrients for proper growth, there are often limiting factors involved.
  • The limiting factor or limiting nutrient effects and controls growth.
  • Describe the role of nutrients in microbial growth and their culture in the lab

• Sources of Essential Nutrients

  • The sources of common essential nutrients are carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur.
  • There are two categories of essential nutrients: macro-nutrients (which are needed in large amounts) and micro-nutrients (which are needed in trace or small amounts).
  • Macro-nutrients usually help maintain the cell structure and metabolism.
  • Micro-nutrients help enzyme function and maintain protein structure.
  • Organic nutrients contain some combination of carbon and hydrogen atoms .

• Absorption in the Small Intestine

  • Absorption of nutrients occurs partially by diffusion through the wall of the small intestine.
  • Examples of nutrients absorbed by the small intestine include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, iron, vitamins, and water.
  • The primary function of the small intestine is the absorption of nutrients and minerals found in food.
  • Digested nutrients pass into the blood vessels in the wall of the intestine through a process of diffusion.
  • Describe the role played by the small intestine in absorption of nutrients

• Organization of Ecosystems

  • Microorganisms serve essential roles in the complex nutrient exchange system that defines an ecological community.
  • Additionally, the movement of mineral nutrients in the food chain is cyclic rather than linear.
  • Other microbes are decomposers, with the ability to recycle nutrients from dead organic matter and other organisms' waste products.
  • This image shows a simplified food web model of energy and mineral nutrient movement in an ecosystem.
  • Energy flow is unidirectional (noncyclic) and mineral nutrient movement is cyclic.

• Energy Sources

  • The availability of nutrients in aquatic systems is also an important aspect of energy or photosynthesis.
  • In freshwater systems, the recycling of nutrients occurs in response to air temperature changes.
  • The nutrients at the bottom of lakes are recycled twice each year: in the spring and fall turnover, which recycles nutrients and oxygen from the bottom of a freshwater ecosystem to the top of a body of water.
  • As it rises, the sediments and nutrients from the lake bottom are brought along with it.
  • Ocean upwelling is an important process that recycles nutrients and energy in the ocean.

• The Iron Cycle

  • Iron is an important limiting nutrient required for plants and animals; it cycles between living organisms and the geosphere.
  • Iron (Fe) follows a geochemical cycle like many other nutrients.
  • The role of iron in ocean ecosystems was first discovered when English biologist Joseph Hart noticed "desolate zones," which are regions that lacked plankton but were rich in nutrients.
  • He hypothesized that iron was the limiting nutrient in these areas.
  • Thus far, the results of iron fertilization experiments have been mixed, and there is concern among scientists about the possible consequences of tampering nutrient cycles .

• Essential Nutrients for Plants

  • These 20 elements are called essential nutrients.
  • Nutrients that plants require in larger amounts are called macronutrients.
  • The role of calcium is twofold: to regulate nutrient transport and to support many enzyme functions.
  • Depending on the specific nutrient, a lack can cause stunted growth, slow growth, or chlorosis.
  • Nutrient deficiency is evident in the symptoms these plants show.

• Food Requirements and Essential Nutrients

  • Essential nutrients are those that cannot be created by an animal's metabolism and need to be obtained from the diet.
  • These nutrients are termed essential nutrients: they must be eaten as the body cannot produce them.
  • Minerals are inorganic essential nutrients that must also be obtained from food.
  • Each of these food sources provides different nutrients the body cannot make for itself.
  • Describe the essential nutrients required for cellular function that cannot be synthesized by the animal body

• Inorganic Nutrients and Other Factors

  • Inorganic nutrients, soil structure, and aquatic oxygen availability are further abiotic factors that affect species distribution in an ecosystem.
  • Inorganic nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are important in the distribution and the abundance of living things.
  • Plants obtain these inorganic nutrients from the soil when water moves into the plant through the roots.
  • Therefore, soil structure (the particle size of soil components), soil pH, and soil nutrient content play an important role in the distribution of plants.
  • Animals obtain inorganic nutrients from the food they consume.

• Plant Nutrition

  • Plants meet their nutritional needs for growth by absorbing soil nutrients, water, and carbon dioxide, in addition to the required sunlight.
  • Plants are unique organisms that can absorb nutrients and water through their root system, as well as carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
  • The combination of soil nutrients, water, and carbon dioxide, along with sunlight, allows plants to grow.
  • Second, the young seedling will eventually grow into a mature plant with the roots absorbing nutrients and water from the soil.