Nutrient depletion is a form of resource depletion and refers to the loss of nutrients and micronutrients in a habitat or parts of the biosphere, most often the soil (soil depletion, soil degradation).[1] On the level of a complete ecological niche or ecosystem, nutrient depletion can also come about via the loss of the nutrient substrate (soil loss, wetland loss, etc.). Nutrients are usually the first link in the food chain, thus a loss of nutrients in a habitat will affect nutrient cycling and eventually the entire food chain.[2][3]

Nutrient depletion can refer to shifts in the relative nutrient composition and overall nutrient quantity (i.e. food abundance). Human activity has changed both in the natural environment extensively, usually with negative effects on wildlife flora and fauna.[4][5]

The opposite effect is known as eutrophication or nutrient pollution.[6] Both depletion and eutrophication lead to shifts in biodiversity and species abundance (usually a decline).[7] The effects are bidirectional in that a shift in species composition in a habitat may also lead to shift in the nutrient composition.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ Tan, Z. X.; Lal, R.; Wiebe, K. D. (2005-06-14). "Global Soil Nutrient Depletion and Yield Reduction". Journal of Sustainable Agriculture. 26 (1): 123–146. doi:10.1300/J064v26n01_10. ISSN 1044-0046. S2CID 26750583.
  2. ^ Dalal, R. C., & Probert, M. E. (1997). Soil Nutrient Depletion. Retrieved February 10, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ram_Dalal/publication/291868075_Soil_nutrient_depletion/links/5727d8b808aee491cb414dd4.pdf
  3. ^ Lal, R. (2009). "Soil degradation as a reason for inadequate human nutrition". Food Security. 1 (1): 45–57. doi:10.1007/s12571-009-0009-z. ISSN 1876-4517. S2CID 32798094.
  4. ^ Whitcomb, Sarah J.; Heyneke, Elmien; Aarabi, Fayezeh; Watanabe, Mutsumi; Hoefgen, Rainer (2014), Hawkesford, Malcolm J.; Kopriva, Stanislav; De Kok, Luit J. (eds.), "Mineral Nutrient Depletion Affects Plant Development and Crop Yield", Nutrient Use Efficiency in Plants, Cham: Springer International Publishing, vol. 10, pp. 205–228, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-10635-9_8, ISBN 978-3-319-10634-2, retrieved 2022-09-25
  5. ^ Birnie-Gauvin, Kim; Peiman, Kathryn S.; Raubenheimer, David; Cooke, Steven J. (2017). "Nutritional physiology and ecology of wildlife in a changing world". Conservation Physiology. Oxford University Press (OUP). 5 (1): cox030. doi:10.1093/conphys/cox030. ISSN 2051-1434. PMC 5516125. PMID 28740638.
  6. ^ Both refer to water bodies instead of soil, because an overabundance of nutrients will usually be washed out from the soil
  7. ^ "Biodiversity". WHO. December 3, 2012. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  8. ^ Sherrard, Mark E.; Elgersma, Kenneth J.; Koos, Jordan M. A.; Kokemuller, Catherine M.; Dietz, Hannah E.; Glidden, Alec J.; Carr, Christina M.; Cambardella, Cynthia A. (2019). "Species composition influences soil nutrient depletion and plant physiology in prairie agroenergy feedstocks". Ecosphere. Wiley. 10 (7). doi:10.1002/ecs2.2805. ISSN 2150-8925.
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