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2.3 Nutrient Cycles (the carbon cycle (various compounds of carbon…
2.3 Nutrient Cycles
the carbon cycle
various compounds of carbon circulate through the biosphere, the atmosphere and parts of the hydrosphere
carbon found in or created by a living thing is called organic carbon
carbon found in or created by something non living is called inorganic carbon
all life that we know of is carbon based
organisms and detritus, especially trees, represent a huge store of carbon
carbon is cycled through the biosphere by photosynthesis and aerobic respiration
carbon is found in dense quantities in coal, natural gas and oil
it is also found in animal shells and dead coral
carbon reservoirs are stores of carbon where it is stored in solid form
carbon sinks are environments that can directly absorb carbon from the atmosphere
the nitrogen cycle
nitrogen is a critical nutrient for all forms of life
it makes up 78% of the atmosphere
nitrogen alone cannot be used as a nutrient for plants. it needs to be a component
nitrogen is converted to ammonia or ammonium by lightning and by specialized bacteria in the topsoil
nitrogen fixation
nitrogen fixing bacteria can be found living freely in the soil but some plants have symbiotic relationships with this bacteria
these include legumes such as clover, chickpea, soybean, alfalfa and peanuts
other species of bacteria convert ammonia into ammonium ions and nitrate ions. this is called nitrification
plants take up ammonium and nitrate through their roots. this is called assimilation
nitrogen fixation
nitrification
assimilation
ammonification
dentrification
the phosphorus cycle
phosphorus does not cycle through the atmosphere because few of its compounds exist as a gas
water runs over exposed rocks and slowly erodes away inorganic compounds containing phosphate ions
water carries these ions into the soil, where they are absorbed by the roots of plants, move through food webs from producers to consumers to detritus feeders and decomposers
phosphates will find themselves embedded in rock, which millions of years later will become uplifted to the surface and be eroded again
nutrient cylces
nutrients are elements needed by organisms to survive
the ones needed in large amounts are:
carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, magnesium
these elements were created in stars way before earth was formed
all these elements are in a variety of chemical forms, used in the bodies of living organisms, etc
the ones needed in small amounts are:
iron, copper, zinc, manganese, chloride and nickel
the biogeochemical cycle is the way in which an element or compound moves between its various living and non living forms and locations in the biosphere
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur are key elements that keep our bodies running
the water cycle
patterns of water cycling and rainfall have major effects on earth's ecosystems
water is a universal solvent
there is a lot of moving water on our planet-- it move chemicals from place to place
water enters, and exits, every living organism on the planet