Do rocks feed plants?
Channel: Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum
Date: 09/10/2019

Animation on the fascinating cycle of how plants get the mineral nutrients that they need to grow. Plants “eat” mineral nutrients like phosphorous or potassium from the soil and rock that their roots grow in. But this natural resource is limited. To prevent running out of nutrients, hyphae (long thread-like cells of fungi that are attached to roots) recycle phosphorus from falling leaves, and return it to trees. In dry landscapes plants take up phosphorus directly from rock. The movie shows the difference of ecosystems in different climates.

Editors: 
Friedhelm von Blanckenburg, GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences
Michaela Dippold, University of Göttingen, Germany
Andreas Schulz, Filmbüro Potsdam

Funding: DFG Project ““EarthShape – Earth Surface Shaping by Biota”

DOI: 10.2312/GFZ.3.3.2019.007