02 16 The Soil Nutrient Cycle is on the Move

The nutrients used by plants come from many sources, such as weathered bedrock, sediments, organic matter decomposition, the atmosphere, bacteria, fungi and fertilizer. Every nutrient is constantly on the move through the ecosystem. For example, a mineral in a plant is eaten by an animal. The animal dies or leaves organic matter behind that is broken down by bacteria into free-floating minerals in the environment that are eventually absorbed back into a plant to start over again.