Synonyms
Definition
Nutrients are elements or compounds used by organisms in the production of biomass, cellular function, or related structural material.
Introduction
Nutrients are elements or compounds used by organisms in the production of biomass, cellular function, or related structural material (Odum 1959). Nutrients that are required for proper cellular functioning are described as essential nutrients . Traditionally, major essential nutrients (utilized by organisms in approximate percentage or greater abundances in biomass) have been considered to be N, P, and S. However, essential trace nutrients are also required for growth and proper cellular function; these include Fe, Co, Zn, Ni, V, and many others (see Fig. 1). Part of what defines an element as a nutrient is its potential for limitation, which is the reason that O and H are not typically defined as nutrients, even though they are required for the production of biomass, and...
References
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Brandes, J.A. (2017). Nutrients. In: White, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_151-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39193-9_151-1
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