Explanation:
Nutrients are important in growth and survival of the plants and animals. Some of the essential nutrients which are required in large quantities are nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium,hydrogen, carbon,oxygen, calcium. Some other nutrients which are required in minute quantities also known as micronutrients are boron, chlorine, manganese, iron, copper, zinc etc. Nutrient cycling is the exchange of nutrients between the plants and the living organisms in forest ecosystem. The nutrient cycling depends on various factors like climate, abiotic components like sunlight, topography, rock etc and the biotic communities. The nutrient cycling process includes uptake of nutrients, storage of nutrients in the plant tissues, production of litter, decomposition of the litter, conversion of these nutrients by the flora and fauna of the ecosystem, input of nutrients from the atmosphere and through the process by weathering, nutrients transport from the soil through the process of leaching and in the gaseous form. Each of the elements has a unique biogeochemical cycle eg. the carbon is uptake by the plants from the atmosphere.
The food chain of the forest ecosystem is mainly divided into producers, consumers and the decomposers. Plants are the producers which make their own food with the help of photosynthesis. Consumers are the animals which directly or indirectly depends on plants for their food. The herbivorous animals like deer, sheep, cows they eat the green plants as their food. The carnivorous animals like lion, tiger, wolf eat these animals as their food. The decomposers eg. bacteria, crabs, earthworms eat the dead remains of these organisms and helps in decomposing these wastes into the soil again. Thus a food cycle is completed.
