1. I. Recycling in the Biosphere
* Biogeochemical cycles- a process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another.

2. Classification of Biogeochemical processes
a. Biological- activities performed by organisms including: eating , breathing, burning food, waste elimination
b. Geological- activities performed by the earth: volcanic eruptions, rock formation and degradation
c. Chemical/Physical- formation of clouds and rain, flow of running water and the action of lightning

3. Biogeochemical processes (cont.)
d. Human Activity- mining, farming, fertilizer use, and burning of fossil fuels affects the cycles of matter.

4. Cycles Transforming energy into usable forms
Biogeochemical cycle- exchange of matter through the biosphere.
*Matter cannot be created or destroyed!!!*
Cycling of nutrients in the biosphere involves:
Matter in living organisms
Physical processes found in the environment
Transforming energy into usable forms

5. Water Cycle
Water is constantly evaporating into atmosphere (water vapor)
Vapor rises, cools, forms clouds (condensation):
90% of water vapor evaporates from ocean, 10% from surface of plants (transpiration).
Water falls from clouds in form of precipitation

6. Water cycle
-water is constantly evaporating into atmosphere (water vapor)
-vapor rises, cools, forms clouds
-water falls from clouds in form of precipitation
-90% of water vapor evaporates from ocean, 10% from surface of plants (transpiration).

8. Nitrogen Cycle
*Nitrogen enters the food web when plants absorb nitrogen compounds from soil*
Consumers get nitrogen by eating plants or animals that contain nitrogen. 8

9. Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) Nitrates (NO3)
Nitrogen – needed to make proteins
Conversion of nitrogen into a form that is useable by plants is called nitrogen fixation.
-animals and plants cannot use nitrogen directly from the atmosphere
-nitrogen gas captured by bacteria, convert into usable form
THE GOAL!
Atmospheric nitrogen (N2)
Nitrates (NO3) 9

10. Nitrogen Cycle (cont.)
Nitrogen is returned to the soil in several ways:
1. Animals urinate
2. Organisms die (decomposers!)
3. Lightning
Organisms convert ammonia into usable nitrogen compounds. (Nitrification)
Fixed nitrogen converted back to gas and reenters atmosphere (Denitrification)
In the soil

13. The Carbon Cycle Carbon Contained within…
Major part of organic molecules
Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and nucleic acids.
Contained within…
animal skeletons
rocks
the atmosphere (CO2)
dissolved in oceans
fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil)

14. Carbon Cycle http://blogs. dickinson

15. Human Impact Fossil fuels release carbon stores very slowly
Burning anything releases more carbon into atmosphere — especially fossil fuels
Increased carbon dioxide in atmosphere increases global warming
Fewer plants mean less CO2 removed from atmosphere

17. Phosphorous Cycle Phosphorous
essential to organisms as it is part of molecules such as DNA and RNA.
Remains mostly on land and in the ocean as inorganic phosphate- usually in rocks or soils.
Rocks and sediments release phosphate as they wear down

18. * Plants bind phosphate into organic compounds when they absorb it from the soil or water.
* Organic phosphates make their way through the food web to the rest of the ecosystem

19. Phosphorus Cycle

21. IV. Nutrient Limitation
Primary productivity is the rate at which primary producers (plants) create organic material.
If one essential nutrient in an ecosystem runs short, then primary productivity will be limited

22. A. Nutrient limitation in soils
* In farming, growth of crop plants is limited by a lack of one or more nutrients in the soil, which is why fertilizers are used * Fertilizers usually contain: nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium

23. * Micronutrients are nutrients that are needed in smaller amounts: calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and manganese
Soybean plant showing manganese deficiency
Iron deficiency in leaves of melon plant

24. All nutrient cycles work together like interlocking gears
* All nutrient cycles work together like interlocking gears. If one gear slows down (one nutrient runs short), the whole system slows down or even stops.

25. B. Nutrient limitation in aquatic ecosystems
* The open oceans are relatively nutrient poor when compared to many land areas
* In saltwater environments, nitrogen is typically the limiting nutrient
* In freshwater environments, phosphorous is typically the limiting nutrient

26. * Heavy rains can bring fertilizer runoff from agricultural fields into aquatic environments and causes dramatic effects such as, algal blooms.