New study suggests wildlife may be answer to phosphorus crisis

There is a steady supply ofFertilizer in modern agriculture. One of the main ingredients offertilizer is running out, putting pressure on farmers around the world. The ability of the world to feed itself may be at risk because of war in Europe.

In agriculture, phosphorus is used to help crops grow. Much of this vital nutrient is dumped into the ocean from nearby rivers. The world faces an impending shortage of this key ingredient as easily minable sources of phosphorus-rich rock run out.

Andrew Abraham, a post-doctoral researcher in Northern Arizona University's School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems, and Chris Doughty, an associate professor of ecoinformatics, suggest an age-old solution to the global crisis in a new study.

In the past, animals such as whales, sea birds, fish and bears played a key role in returning phosphorus from ocean depths back onto land. Today, species extinctions, diminished population abundances and the erection of fences and dams have reduced the service by more than 90 percent.

Humans dominate the transport of phosphorous around the Earth. Inefficiency in agriculture leads to substantial losses to the ocean, where it becomes vastly dispersed and unrecoverable with current technologies. What can be done to recover human losses of phosphorus to the ocean? The study suggests a different answer.

Abraham said that research showed that wild animals transport a large amount of phosphorus on par with other important flows such as dust deposition and wildfires. Ancient pathways of natural fertilization can be rejuvenated by restoring animal communities.

The University of Vermont's Joe Roman is a co-author of the book.

The researchers believe that services by animals will help increase the resilience of the natural world over the coming century. This is important in ensuring long-term health of the planet in the face of climate and ecological breakdown.

There might be an opportunity for a phosphorus trading system, with the goal of keeping this important nutrient out of the bottom of the ocean, according to co-authored the study.

If it is cheaper or easier to invest in a biodiversity project that retains a known quantity of phosphorus in the environment, a country or business could invest in such projects.

The current trading market for carbon is where the authors base their trading system. In this way, localities could either benefit directly from animal-mediated fertilization such as bird guano, or indirectly, by continuing to use mined fertilizer and relying on other countries to sponsor a biodiversity project in hopes of retaining phosphorus within the global biosphere.

Phosphorus is an essential ingredient for both human and natural systems. Abraham said that a defining attribute of animals is their ability to move.

More information: Andrew J. Abraham et al, The sixth R: Revitalizing the natural phosphorus pump, Science of The Total Environment (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.155023 Journal information: Science of the Total Environment Citation: New study suggests wildlife may be answer to phosphorus crisis (2022, April 12) retrieved 12 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-wildlife-phosphorus-crisis.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.