Index >> Aquatic Environment Microbiology >>Nutrient Spiralling

Nutrient Spiralling - The path of nutrients in a river is spiral rather than a cycle and this phenomenon in known as nutrient spiralling. The suspended nutrients in a river is usually absorbed by attached microbial communities which act upon them.

After the death of these attached forms the absorbed nutrients are left free in the flowing water. After a flow for a small distance downstream these nutrients are again absorbed by some other attached forms.

As a result of this interruption, the nutrients carried along with the running water do not move with the speed of current. Thus, the nutrients involve a downstream movement before a cycle.