Thesis Statement For Synthetic Fertilizer

Ecological Cataclysm Ascribed to Synthetic Fertilizers:
A Sentence Outline
Thesis Statement: To ensure the preservation of mammalian populations native to North America, it is vital for Americans to establish an understanding of what synthetic fertilizer, along with acknowledging how its excessive application is cataclysmic for aquaculture and wildlife ecosystems.
I. To comprehend the magnitude of synthetic fertilizer effects, it is vital knowing what synthetic fertilizer is, on a molecular level, and how it behaves. A. Synthetic fertilizer is comprised of many toxic chemical additives. 1. “Synthetic fertilizer can be defined as inorganic material of synthetic origin… non-living and man-made...that is added to the soil to supply one
The chemicals in synthetic fertilizer creates a harmful environment for microbial life and is later dispersed to surrounding areas through the process of hydrology. A. Degradation of microbial life prevents microbes from stabilizing and protecting soil and plant life. 1. In naturally fertile soil, microbes ward off pathogens, provide a protective layer around plant roots, excrete preferred forms of nitrogen, and maintain oxygen and moisture levels through denitrification and fixation. (Hermary). 2. As a result of repetitive application of synthetic fertilizer, enhanced degradation occurs, allowing oxygen, nitrogen, moisture, and pH levels to reach far beyond the normal range, ultimately over-stressing and terminating large portions of microbial and soil animal populations. (Zuber). B. Residual chemicals are transported to other areas due to the process of hydrology. 1. The hydrological cycle is very intricate, involving the movement of chemical additives found in synthetic fertilizers by way of water travel, which includes leaching, run-off, erosion, and precipitation, such as rain and snow.
Extensive research done in the Salinas Valley River in California has shown that run-off of synthetic fertilizers, from surrounding agriculture, is compromising the health and development of native frog species, including immunosuppression and sexual reversal. (Hayes)
IV. The exposure and consumption of synthetic fertilizer causes extreme chemical toxicosis, resulting in the severe loss of various bird and mammalian populations. A. Chemicals commonly found in synthetic fertilizers are quickly accumulated and stored by living organisms. 1. “Organochlorines are strongly attracted to fats present in cells and tissues of living organisms...allowing them to reach progressively high concentrations in vertebrates [through the process of biomagnification].” (Moyle). 2. The ingestion of flora and water sources containing more than 1.5% nitrate results in toxicosis, causing rapid death. (Thompson). B. Various North American bird and mammalian population suffer widespread losses due to interaction with synthetic fertilizers. 1. Tissue analysis on gulls in New Hanover County, North Carolina and western grebes surrounding Clear Lake, California have shown extremely high concentrates of organochlorines and nitrite, generating mass die-offs of both species.