SELF INTRO

• Martina Komárková
• New building of FTZ, doors 337
• Mail: eto89@seznam.cz or
komarkova@ftz.czu.cz
• Tel: 728 400 133 (in urgent case)
Schedule…
• Monday, Wednesday, MS TEAMS
• Online teaching
• Presentations on moodle (without voice!)
• Additional materials, papers etc.

• How to pass: being present on MS Teams

• Prepare a short 5 slides presentation about resource ecology issue
from your surrounding (will be presented on our last lecture online)
• Pass the credit test and the oral exam
Excursion???
• Milovice 14 of October/or specified by
questionaiire
• https://mapy.cz/s/magocagode
• Train from Masarykovo nádraží/car
INTRODUCTION Martina Komárková
TO ECOLOGY eto89@seznam.cz

OF NATURAL Pavla Hejcmanová

hejcmanova@ftz.czu.cz
RESOURCES
 The ecology of trophic interactions between
consumers and their resources

Includes competition, plant–nutrient

relationships, and predator–prey relationships

Resource such as herbivory, parasitism and carnivory

Ecology From the consumer’s perspective, resources,

such as energy, nutrients and water, are
prerequisites of life that have to be acquired

Foraging is the central process because it leads

to growth, survival and reproduction of the
animal
 WHAT ARE
RESOURCES?
• Source or supply from which
benefit is produced

• NATURAL RESOURCES
• occurring in nature
• can be used to create whealth
 O2 production
Clean air
Materials

Heat
Light Food
Helpers, fun
6 resources that we
Hydratation of
living organisms use daily
Clean our bodies
Cook the food Food
Fun activities Textile materials Soil for plants
Medicine Space to live
Coal, oil for energy
 • Three main characteristics:

• UTILITY
• LIMITED AVAILABILITY
WHAT ARE • POTENTIAL
RESOURCES? FOR DEPLETION OR CONSUMPTION

• Biological/ecological resource: a substance

or object required by a living organism for
normal growth, maintenance,
and reproduction

FITNESS !
RESOURCES can
be classified

Abiotic x Biotic

Renewable x
Non-Renewable

Actual x
Potential
6 resources that we
use daily
ALL ARE
INTERCONNECTED
!!!
 What is RESOURCE ECOLOGY about?
• Soil – plant – animal
interactions
• What interconnect all
these systems?

• ENERGY and NUTRIENTS

http://monthlyreview.org/2011/01/01/ecological-civilization
 To gain the food from the soil and
to understand how to do it

Why do To understand nutrient cycling and

interactions among resources (soil –

we care? plant – animals – climate) in order to

maintain the life on the Earth

who we are,
To understand history from where
of humankind we come and
where we go
SOIL - PLANT – ANIMAL INTERACTIONS

Is there any problem with agricultural production/ food

production? What is the key point? RESOURCES

• Driver of agricultural production (Clay et al. 2019)

 SOIL - PLANT – ANIMAL INTERACTIONS

Is there any problem with agricultural production/ food

production? What is the key point? RESOURCES

• Driver of agricultural production

SOIL - PLANT – ANIMAL INTERACTIONS

The key points regarding resources

Carrying capacity of the Earth
• Limited availability
without supplementary energy
is 2 bilions of inhabitants
• Prediction of the stock of P rich
rock for next 40-120 years
SOIL - PLANT – ANIMAL INTERACTIONS

The key points regarding resources

Knowledge of resources and

their effective use

It is not important how many

resources you have. If you do
not know how to use them,
they will never be enough
sufficient.
SOLUTION?
 To gain the food from the soil and to
understand how to do it

Why do To understand nutrient cycling and

interactions among resources (soil –
plant – animals – climate) in order to
we care? maintain the life on the Earth

who we are,
To understand history from where we
of humankind come and
where we go
One of keypoints : CLIMATE and ITS
CURRENTLY CHANGING PATTERN
 To gain the food from the soil and to
understand how to do it

Why do To understand nutrient cycling and

interactions among resources (soil –
plant – animals – climate) in order to
we care? maintain the life on the Earth

who we are,
To understand history from where we
of humankind come and
where we go
How to cope?

Human adaptability and adaptive

management of natural resources
NATURAL RESOURCES?
• UTILITY
• LIMITED AVAILABILITY
• POTENTIAL FOR DEPLETION OR CONSUMPTION

• Biological/ecological resource: a substance or object

required by a living organism for
normal growth, maintenance, and reproduction

• INTERCONNECTED through energy and nutrients

ENERGY and
NUTRIENTS
• ENERGY FLOWS THROUGH
an ecosystem, whereas
CHEMICAL NUTRIENTS CYCLE WITHIN it.

• Energy enters an ecosystem

as solar radiation, moves as chemical energy
through the food web, and exits as heat.
• Transfers of chemical nutrients through
the trophic levels lead eventually
to detritus (nonliving organic matter);
the nutrients then cycle back to primary
producers.
 NUTRIENT CYCLING IN
TERRESTRIAL ECOSYSTEMS

Three main compartments for nutrient store

Biomass: flora and fauna

Litter

Soil
 NUTRIENT CYCLING IN
TERRESTRIAL
ECOSYSTEMS
• Three main compartments for nutrient
store: Biomass (flora and fauna), Litter, Soil
• Two inputs (light green):
• Nutrients dissolved in raindrops
• Nutrients from weathered rock
• Two outputs (red):
• Nutrients lost through surface runoff
• Nutrients lost through leaching
• Three flows (blue):
• Littering (including withering, defoliation,
excretion, unconsumed parts left over, dead
bodies of animals, and so on).
• Decomposition of the litter into inorganic
nutrients, which are then stored in the soil
• Nutrient uptake by plants
Nutrient cycling
model for world
biomes
 Which elements are
important? Is the
abundance of elements
What and where is the important? Has the
source of chemical abundance some
elements? consequences for their
exploitation by living
organisms, including Energy flows through
humans?
an ecosystem, whereas
chemical elements cycle
within it.

What are the ways for What are the ways the
these elements to entre people extract and exploit
the cycle? the elements?
 1. Sources of chemical elements

Who we are? From what are we

made?
 1. Sources of chemical elements

Cosmos – Solar system

The most abundant,
products of Big Bang
Created by reactions
after Big Bang
1. Sources of chemical elements

MOST
ABUNDANT
ELEMENTS ON
THE EARTH

Sterner and Elser 2002

1. Sources of chemical elements

MOST
ABUNDANT
ELEMENTS ON
THE EARTH
Air balanced

Air
Biased towards
human
requirement

Rock

Rock balanced

Sterner and Elser 2002

 2. Importance of elements

CHEMICAL ELEMENTS
in living organisms (plants, animals
and man)
• Carbon, oxygen, hydrogen

• Other components of structural tissues or

participants in biochemical reactions:
• Nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium,
calcium, magnesium, chlorine, iron,
manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum
• Other – essential only sometimes
• Cobalt for plants/legumes that rely on N2
fixation – nutrient for rhizobacteria
• Nickel, sodium, selenium, silicon
 • 2. Importance of elements

Primary functions of elements in living organisms

Function Elements Chemical form Examples

Structural H, O, C, N, P, S Involved in chemical compounds or sparingly Biological molecules, tissues, skeletons, shells,
Si, B, F, Ca soluble inorganic compounds teeth, etc.
(Mg, Zn)

Electrochemical H, Na, K, Cl Free ions Message transmission in nerves, cellular

HPO42- , (Mg, Ca) signaling, energy metabolism

Mechanical Ca, HPO42- , (Mg) Free ions exchanging with bound ions Muscle contractions

Catalytic Zn, (Ni, Fe, Mn) Complexed with enzymes Digestion (Zn), hydrolysis of urea (Ni), PO4
(acid-base) removal in acid media (Fe, Mn)

Catalytic Fe, Cu, Mn, Mo, Se, (Co, Complexed with enzymes Reactions with O2 (Fe, Cu), nitrogen fixation
(redox) Ni, V) (Mo), reduction of nucleotides (Co)
 2. Importance of elements

QUANTITY OF A NUTRIENT ELEMENT

• Depends on metabolic functions and varies widely from element to element

• Ex. N deficient when its concentration in young leaf tissue is less that 2.5% -
major constituent of proteins and DNA/RNA
• In contrast Mo is deficient when less than 0.00005% - just the essential function
in several enzymes, thus minor quantity

•MACROELEMENTS: N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S

• Na, Cl – microelements for plants, macronutrient for animals

•MICROELEMENTS: Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Mo

• B for plants, I, Se for animals

• Uncertain essentiality: Fe: high concentration in many soils, F, Si

• Trace elements: sometimes used similarly as micronutrient
• Concentrations of most nutrients in soils normally reflect the nature of soil
parent material.
2. Importance of elements
 2. Importance of elements
CRITERIA FOR ESSENTIALITY
• Elements essential for plants are essential also for animals

1. A deficiency makes it impossible for the plant to complete

the vegetative or reproductive stage of its cycle
2. Deficiency is specific to the element in question and can be
prevented or corrected only by supplying this element
3. The element is directly involved in the nutrition of the
plant and is not simply correcting some unfavourable
conditions of the soil

• For animals in addition: I, Na, Se, Cr, Ni

• Other beneficial elements: F, Si
• Not deficient in agricultural practice or in natural ecosystems:
Cr, Ni, F
 RISK ELEMENTS
Acid soil Alkaline soil
• Chemicals harmful for living
organism – influence metabolism,
mainly P (consequent P deficiency)
– symptoms - coloration
• As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb
• Zn,Cu, Fe, Mn – microelements,
but in surplus act as risk elements

• On acid soils – higher mobility of

Zn, Cd, Fe, Mn, Al in soil

• M-Malín (Kutná Hora – Ag, Pb, As): As

• L-Litavka (Příbram – Pb, Zn, Cd): acid soil, Zn
toxicity, addition of Ca increase pH and decrease
Zn and Cd mobility (Vondráčková et al. 2014)
• C: control, Ca: lime, P: superphosphate
 Use of plants (trees, shrubs, grasses and
aquatic plants) and their associated
microorganisms in order to remove, degrade
or isolate toxic substances from the
environment

Substances subjected to phytoremediation

Phytoremediation Metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, Hg), metalloids (As,
Sb), inorganic compounds (NO3- NH4+, PO4 3-),
radioactive chemical elements (U, Cs, Sr),
petroleum hydrocarbons (BTEX), pesticides and
herbicides (atrazine, bentazone, chlorinated
and nitroaromatic compounds), explosives
(TNT, DNT), chlorinated solvents (TCE, PCE)
and industrial organic wastes (PCPs, PAHs), and
others
• Favas et al. 2014
Phytoremediation -
mechanisms
• Phytodegradation (Phytotransformation):

Organic contaminants are degraded (metabo‐

lized) or mineralized inside plant cells by specific
enzymes that include nitroreductases
(degradation of nitroaromatic compounds),
dehalogenases (degradation of chlorinated
solvents and pesticides) and laccases
(degradation of anilines).

Populus species and Myriophyllium spicatum are

examples of plants that have these enzymatic
systems
Phytoremediation - mechanisms
• Phytostabilization (Phytoimmobilization)

Contaminants, organic or inorganic, are

incorporated into the lignin of the cell wall of
roots cells or into humus. Metals are
precipitated as insoluble forms by direct action
of root exudates and subsequently trapped in
the soil matrix. The main objective is to avoid
mobilization of contaminants and limit their
diffusion in the soil.

Species of genera Haumaniastrum, Eragrostis,

Ascolepis, Gladiolus and Alyssum are examples
of plants cultivated for this purpose
Phytoremediation - mechanisms
• Phytovolatilization
This technique relies on the ability of some plants to
absorb and volatilize certain metals/metalloids. Some
element ions of the groups IIB, VA and VIA of the
periodic table (specifically Hg, Se and As) are
absorbed by the roots, converted into non-toxic
forms, and then released into the atmosphere.

Astragalus bisulcatus and Stanleya pinnata for Se or

transgenic plants (with bacterial genes) of Arabidopsis
thaliana, Nicotiana tabacum, Liriodendron tulipifera or
Brassica napus for Hg can be mentioned.
Phytoremediation-mechanisms
• Phytoextraction (Phytoaccumulation, Phytoabsorption or
Phytosequestration)
Involves the absorption of contaminants by roots followed by
translocation and accumu‐ lation in the aerial parts. It is mainly
applied to metals (Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb) but can also be used for other
elements (Se, As) and organic compounds. This technique
preferentially uses hyperaccumulator plants, that have the ability to
store high concentrations of specific metals in their aerial parts
(0.01% to 1% dry weight, depending on the metal)

Elsholtzia splendens, Alyssum bertolonii, Thlaspi caerulescens and

Pteris vittata are known examples of hyperaccumulator plants for
Cu, Ni, Zn/Cd and As, respectively.
Favas et al. 2014
Phytoremediation -
mechanisms
• Phytofiltration
Uses plants to absorb, concentrate and/or precipitate
contaminants, particularly heavy metals or radioactive
elements, from an aqueous medium through their root
system or other submerged organs. The plants are kept
in a hydroponic system, whereby the effluents pass and
are “filtered” by the roots (Rhizofiltration), or other
organs that absorb and concentrate contaminants.
Plants with high root biomass, or high absorption
surface, with more accumulation capacity (aquatic
hyperaccumulators) and tolerance to contaminants
achieve the best results.

Helianthus annus, Brassica juncea, Phragmites australis,

Fontinalis antipyretica and several species of Salix,
Populus, Lemna and Callitriche
Phytoremediation - mechanisms
• Rhizodegradation (Phytostimulation)
Growing roots promote the proliferation of degrading rhizosphere
microorganisms which utilize exudates and metabolites of plants as
a source of carbon and energy. In addition, plants may exude
biodegrading enzymes themselves. The application of
phytostimulation is limited to organic contaminants.

The microbial community in the rhizosphere is heterogeneous due

to variable spatial Phytoremediation of Soils Contaminated with
Metals and distribution of nutrients, however species of the genus
Pseudomonas are the predominant organisms associated with roots
Limitations

•.
And now is
time for
break☺