Poop that makes the world go Round!

 Read this article about the whale pump "The Whale Pump: A mechanism describing how whales feeding at depth carry nitrogen to warm, energy-rich surface waters, discharging it in “flocculent fecal plumes.” (The oceans in general are limited in nitrogen which means, the plants in the ocean have enough of the other nutrients they need but how much they grow depends on how much nitrogen they can get a hold of.)

It gives you an idea of how important poop and scat are to the nutrient cycle. Animals not only help to decompose, but they also help to redistribute nutrients, and make nutrient sources more accessible.

"It may well be the world’s largest documented poop. It’s also an exclamation point to a line of research pursued in recent years by marine biologists who say whales are the ocean’s unappreciated gardeners, playing enormous roles in nutrient and carbon cycles. In short — or perhaps in long — their poop helps make the aquatic world go round."