Question

Explain the natural recycling of bio-elements.

Answer 1

Ans) The natural recycling of bio-elements such as carbon and nitrogen through biological, geologic and chemical mechanism.

- An example of ecological recycling occurs in the enzymatic digestion of cellulose. "Cellulose, one of the most abundant organic compounds on Earth, is the major polysaccharide in plants where it is part of the cell walls. Cellulose-degrading enzymes participate in the natural, ecological recycling of plant material.

- Different ecosystems can vary in their recycling rates of litter, which creates a complex feedback on factors such as the competitive dominance of certain plant species.

- Different rates and patterns of ecological recycling leaves a legacy of environmental effects with implications for the future evolution of ecosystems.

- Ecological recycling is common in organic farming, where nutrient management is fundamentally different compared to agri-business styles of soil management.

- Organic farms that employ ecosystem recycling to a greater extent support more species (increased levels of biodiversity) and have a different food web structure.

- Organic agricultural ecosystems rely on the services of biodiversity for the recycling of nutrients through soils instead of relying on the supplementation of synthetic fertilizers.

- The model for ecological recycling agriculture adheres to the following principals:

• Protection of biodiversity.
• Use of renewable energy.
• Recycling of plant nutrients.
Where produce from an organic farm leaves the farm gate for the market the system becomes an open cycle and nutrients may need to be replaced through alternative methods.