How poop shapes the world

When you toss a plastic bottle into the recycling bin, it could transform into something entirely different down the road. But have you ever wondered what happens when we flush? Unlike our recyclables, animal waste plays a vital role in nature's grand cycle of life. Let's discover how poop influences, impacts and shapes the world around us!

Taking a close look at corals, they reveal themselves as miniature tentacled animals. However, they sit on top vast mountains of their own skeletons, composed of calcium carbonate. When parrotfish consumes corals, the undigested bony fragments find their way back to the ocean floor. Essentially, parrotfish transform coral into sand through their excretions. Amazingly, each fish produces about one metric ton of this sand annually, enough to significantly contribute to the formation of our beloved beaches.

In the sunlit waters near the ocean's surface, marine algae harness sunlight and carbon dioxide to produce energy and oxygen. Similar to plants on land, they also require essential nutrients such as nitrogen and iron. The giants of the sea like whales and whale sharks have a colossal waste output that exceeds 50,000 liters in a single release. These clouds of whale poop are rich in nutrients, carrying iron levels 10 million times higher than seawater. So where whales are, phytoplankton flourish. As these plankton eventually perish, the carbon stored in their bodies accumulates on the ocean floor, over time transforming into substances like shale and oil.

Phytoplankton, despite their small size, are incredibly numerous—billions can fill a single bucket of seawater. Collectively, they absorb millions of tons of carbon from the atmosphere and generate more than half of the oxygen essential for our breathing. Meanwhile, the ocean's other organic waste falls down to the deep sea in clouds referred to as marine snow, nourishing creatures like the vampire squid. However, the journey of marine waste doesn't end there.

Deep-diving creatures like sperm whales engage in a quite unique cycle: they hunt squid in the depths of the ocean, then move to the surface to breathe and expel waste, thus recycling nutrients from the abyss and initiating a continuous cycle. While oceanic waste alone won't solve climate change, the recycling of nutrients is crucial. Insufficient nutrient recycling can lead to disruptions in the entire oceanic ecosystem when plankton populations decline. For instance, one plankton die-off during the Cretaceous period about 94 million years ago, may have contributed to oceanic oxygen depletion and a prolonged mass extinction lasting half a million years. Remarkably, poop can even transport nutrients from the ocean to onshore areas.

Birds that prey on fish spread natural fertilizer as they return to land. This process dates back to ancient reptiles like dinosaurs and pterosaurs, which also contributed to enriching soil with their waste. This nutrient boost enabled plants to thrive and spread their seeds, aided by the movements of large fruit-eating mammals. Without these prehistoric animals, the diversity of life today might look very different, as some plants struggle without their ancient seed dispersers, like giant ground sloths. While passing an avocado pit may be cumbersome for us, it was effortless for these giants. Many modern animals continue this ecological role today. For instance, fruit-eating bats and birds act as airborne seed dispersers, crucial for regenerating rainforests after human activities like deforestation. Where they drop their poop, new rainforests have a chance to grow.

In the depths of the soil, a single population of earthworms can recycle approximately two tons of organic matter per acre annually. This relentless recycling of waste plays a crucial role in maintaining the health of terrestrial ecosystems from the ground up. From lush forests to expansive oceans, our planet's natural processes ensure cleaner air and healthier environments thanks to the transformative power of poop. Ultimately, this benefits all of us, reminding us to stay curious about the intricate workings of our world.