SCoPE (Solving Community Problems with Engineering)
Nutrient Pollution Basics

Plants Need Nutrients to Grow

Plants absorb nutrients along with water through their roots. Certain molecules containing the elements nitrogen and phosphorus are nutrients. Plants cannot grow unless there are enough of these nutrients.

For example, if there is no phosphorus in the soil, plants cannot grow or reproduce in that ecosystem. If phosphorus is added to the system, plants will start growing again.