How are nitrogen and phosphorous used in the ecosystem?
Nitrogen is essential to the production of plant and animal tissue. It is used primarily by plants and animals to synthesize protein. Nitrogen enters the ecosystem in several chemical forms and also occurs in other dissolved or particulate forms, such as in the tissues of living and dead organisms. Some bacteria and blue-green algae can extract nitrogen gas from the atmosphere and transform it into organic nitrogen compounds. This process, called nitrogen fixation, cycles nitrogen between organic and inorganic components. Other bacteria release nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere as part of their normal metabolism in a process called denitrification. Denitrification removes about 25 percent of the nitrogen entering the Bay each year. Phosphorus is another key nutrient in the Bay’s ecosystem. In the water, phosphorus occurs in dissolved organic and inorganic forms, often attached to particles of sediment. This nutrient is essential to cellular growth and reproduction. Phytoplankton an
