Lake Erie eutrophication, in which additional nitrogen and phosphorus enter the lake, will cause plant life to "run wild and multiply like crazy". Since there are fewer wetlands, which are like "Nature's kidneys" by filtering nutrients, as well as greater "channelization of waterways", nutrients in water can cause algal blooms to sprout as well as "low-oxygen dead zones" in a complex interaction of natural forces. As of the 2010s much of the phosphorus in the lake comes from fertilizer applied to no-till soybean and corn fields but washed into streams by heavy rains. The algal blooms result from growth of Microcystis, a
Plant nutrition nutrients a plant may be lacking. Many plants engage in symbiosis with microorganisms. Two important types of these relationship are Though nitrogen is plentiful in the Earth's atmosphere, relatively few plants harbour nitrogen-fixing bacteria, so most plants rely on nitrogen compounds present in the soil to support their growth. These can be supplied by mineralization of soil organic matter or added plant residues, nitrogen fixing bacteria, animal waste, through the breaking of triple bonded N molecules by lightning strikes or through the application of fertilizers. At least 17 elements are known to be essential nutrients for plants. In relatively large