Question

12. Why is the phosphorus cycle described as less complicated than the nitrogen cycle? 13. A lake in New York State is fed by a watershed consisting of a single river on its northern end. For many decades this watershed has been forested. However, recently all of the trees on the northern end of the lake were logged. The roots were also removed, and all that remains is bare soil. What effect will this logging have on the watershed's hydrology over the next few decades? How will these effects influence the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in the lake? 14. What is eutrophication and how does phosphorus lead to eutrophication of aquatic ecosystems?

Answer 1

12. The phosphorus cycle is less complicated than the nitrogen cycle because the phosphorous cycle only has terrestrial components meaning that the cycle is not airborne or atmospheric whereas nitrogen cycle involves both terrestrial as well as atmospheric components.

13. When the forest was present in the watershed, it utilised major amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil for its growth. But after the logging process, the nitrogen and phosphorus from the soil will have a chance of getting leached inn the soil. Also, the N and P in the river runoff will also enter the lake and increase the amount of N and P in the lake. Thus, the lake will notice an increase in the concentration of nitrogen and Phosphorus.

14. Eutrophication refers to the enrichment of the water body like a pond or a lake due to excessive concentrations of elements like Nitrogen, Phosphorus and potassium causing dense growth of plant life. Phosphorus provides the nutrient base for the plants and algae to grow in huge numbers in the water body and may result in an algal bloom.