WHY NITROGEN FERTILIZER IS EVIL: Nitrogen is transported around the Earth in the biogeochemical cycle including the hydrologic cycle. Atmospheric nitrogen and nitrogen-containing organic compounds are not depleted by plant and animal use for growth and development. Abiotic factors cycle nitrogen atoms from the atmosphere into soil and freshwater compounds used by plants, consumed, and redistributed by animals. Biotic and abiotic factors work symbiotically to distribute adequate concentrations of nutrients to plants. Anthropogenic nitrogen increases atmospheric deposition rates, forming ammonium compounds that transport excess protons and acidify freshwater, decrease benthic macroinvertebrate diversity, and decrease biodiversity of the greater food web. In remote landscapes, anthropogenic nitrogen decreases biodiversity while nitrogen fixing plants increase biodiversity. Organisms adapt traits to symbiotically exchange nutrients from and to plants. Legumes sequester nitrogen in root nodules and large concentrations exist in excrement/urine. Bacteria consume the decomposing nitrogen and convert it into dinitrogen gas and ammonium when aqueous. Remote landscapes torn by freshwater are susceptible to acidification from anthropogenic nitrogen. Geologic features erode to concentrate atmospheric nitrogen in freshwater pockets and microclimates.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 16:50:27 +0000
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