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Course: High school biology > Unit 9
Lesson 6: Biogeochemical cyclesBiogeochemical cycles review
Google ClassroomKey terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Biogeochemical cycle | The ways in which an element or compound moves between living and nonliving forms and locations |
| Nutrient | Elements that an organism needs to sustain life |
| Hydrosphere | The set of places where water can be found as it cycles on Earth |
| Geosphere | All of the rock at and below Earth's surface |
| Limiting nutrient | The nutrient that's in shortest supply and limits growth |
Biogeochemical cycles
Matter flows through trophic levels and elements are recycled among ecosystems using biogeochemical cycles.
As nutrients move through ecosystems, the compounds they form are usually transformed.
The water cycle
The water cycle is complex and involves state changes in water, as well as the physical movement of water through and between ecosystems.
The hydrosphere is large and diverse. Water is present as a liquid on the Earth's surface and underneath the ground, as ice in the polar ice caps and glaciers, and as water vapor in the atmosphere.
Water molecules typically enter the atmosphere as vapor as they leave from bodies of water during evaporation or from the leaves of plants during transpiration.
The vapor may be transported through the atmosphere. As the vapor cools, the water condenses into droplets that form clouds and result in precipitation like rain or snow.
The carbon cycle
Carbon is an essential element in the bodies of living organisms. It is also economically important to modern humans, in the form of fossil fuels.
Autotrophs (producers) remove carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and uses it to make organic compounds such as glucose. Heterotrophs (consumers) such as humans consume the organic molecules, and the organic carbon is passed through food chains and webs.
Carbon is released back into the atmosphere when autotrophs or heterotrophs undergo cellular respiration, or when decomposers may break down the bodies of dead organisms.
Human activity, such as burning fossil fuels, may also release carbon into the atmosphere.
Carbon enters the geosphere when dead organic matter gets buried and transformed. This process, which ultimately creates fossil fuels, can take millions of years.
The nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is an important nutrients for all living organisms, as it is found in proteins, DNA, and RNA.
Nitrogen exists in the atmosphere as a gas. In nitrogen fixation, bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia, a form of nitrogen usable by plants. When animals eat the plants, they acquire usable nitrogen compounds. Some bacteria also obtain energy through denitrification, in which nitrates are converted into nitrogen gas and then released into the atmosphere.
Nitrogen is a common limiting nutrient in nature (and agriculture). When the available supply of nitrogen is low, many processes, such as primary production and decomposition, are stunted.
Common mistakes and misconceptions
- Not every nutrient will go through these cycles in the same path. People often think that biogeochemical cycles are linear, and that each atom or molecule goes through the cycle step-by-step. However, this is not true. The same atom or molecule may be stored for a long time in one stage of a cycle, cycled between the same two stages, or enter every stage.
- Fossil fuels are considered a non-renewable resource. Although the process that creates fossil fuels happens naturally and continuously, fossil fuels are considered a non-renewable resource because they are being used up much faster than they can be produced by geological processes.
Want to join the conversation?
What is ecological niche(7 votes)
ecological niche and niche are the same things. There are 2 very important terms concerning ecology - habitat and niche. Niche is defined as the natural area where an organism lives AND interacts with. The thing that differentiates niche from habitat is that organisms interact with the environment rather than just livin' in it.(5 votes)
is carbon dioxide drinkable(2 votes)
No. Carbon dioxide is gaseous at room temperature, so liquid carbon dioxide would be freezing and poisonous.(9 votes)
What is the most important "sphere"? As in like atmosphere, geosphere, etc.(1 vote)
earth's environment includes atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere and biosphere. individual spheres have their unique essentiality and each sphere linked to one another. so, every sphere is equally important in general aspect.(6 votes)
- Can humans also release something like carbon in the atmosphere?(3 votes)
- I thought all living species can only breath oxygen not a little of nitrogen.(2 votes)
We can breath Nitrogen, we just can't use it in our body.(3 votes)
hoe does nitrogen turn into ammonia?(1 vote)
Nitrogen turns into ammonia through a process called nitrogen fixation.(1 vote)
- how does nitrogen get assimilated?(1 vote)
- why is there more carbon in the atmosphere than livings things.(1 vote)
- how much carbon do we produce a day?(1 vote)
according to google, we exhale about 2.3 pounds of CO2 per day.(1 vote)
- What factors can disrupt the biogeochemical cycles?(1 vote)