Author: Ibrahim

From an anthropological perspective, many view ecosystems as productive units that produce goods and services. Some of the most common goods produced by ecosystems are wood by forest ecosystems and grass for livestock by natural grasslands. Wild animal meat, often called bushmeat in Africa, has proven highly successful under well-controlled management schemes in South Africa…

An ecosystem is a natural unit consisting of all the plants, animals and microorganisms (biotic factors) in an area interacting with all the non-living physical (abiotic) factors of the environment. An ecosystem is a completely independent unit of interdependent organisms that share the same habitat. Ecosystems typically form many food webs, which reflect the interdependence…

Phosphorus enters the atmosphere from rocks or deposits laid down on Earth many years ago. The commercially available form of phosphate rock is called apatite. Other deposits can be fossilized bone or bird droppings called guano. Weathering and erosion of rocks slowly releases phosphorus as phosphate ions, which are soluble in water. Land plants require…

The nitrogen cycle is a biochemical cycle that describes the transformations of nitrogen and nitrogen-containing compounds in nature. This cycle includes gaseous components. The Earth’s atmosphere contains about 78.08% nitrogen, making it the largest nitrogen pool. Nitrogen is essential for many biological processes. This is important for any life on Earth. Nitrogen is found in…

The oxygen cycle is a biochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen within and between its three main reservoirs: the atmosphere (air), the biosphere (living things), and the lithosphere (Earth’s crust). The primary driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis, which is responsible for modern Earth’s atmosphere and life. The largest store of…

Precipitation: Condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth’s surface. Most precipitation occurs as rain, but also includes snow, hail, fog, drizzle, and sleet. About 505,000 km3 of water falls as rain each year, of which 398,000 km3 falls into the oceans.Canopy interception: The precipitation that is intercepted by plant foliage and eventually evaporates back to…

The water or hydrological cycle is a continuous natural process that facilitates the exchange of water between the atmosphere, land, oceans, living plants and animals. The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, describes the continuous movement of water up and down the Earth’s surface. Since the water cycle is truly a ‘cycle’, it…