Plant structural component of the plant. Chlorophyll, a green-colored, magnesium-containing pigment is essential to this process; it is generally present in plant leaves, and often in other plant parts as well. Parasitic plants, on the other hand, use the resources of their host to provide the materials needed for metabolism and growth. Plants usually rely on soil primarily for support and water (in quantitative terms), but they also obtain compounds of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and other elemental nutrients from the soil. Epiphytic and lithophytic plants depend on air and nearby debris for nutrients, and carnivorous plants supplement their nutrient requirements,
Cultural eutrophication Nova Scotia. In order to match an increase in food demand, agricultural production relies heavily on the use of fertilizers to increase overall crop productivity. These fertilizers contain high amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, which results in excess amounts of nutrients entering the soil. The nutrients that are not absorbed by the plant leach out of the soil and enter freshwater systems, such as rivers. These nutrients can eventually end up in aquatic ecosystems, and are a contributor to increased eutrophication. Cultural eutrophication Cultural eutrophication is the process that speeds up natural eutrophication because of human activity. Due to clearing