2. The Biogeochemical Cycles

3. Fig 4.5 Periodic table of the elements.
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

4. D. T. Krohne, General Ecology

5. Fig 4.6 Idealized diagram of the geologic cycle, which includes the tectonic, hydrologic, rock and biogeochemical cycles.
Fig 4.6 Idealized diagram of the geologic cycle, which includes the tectonic, hydrologic, rock and biogeochemical cycles.
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

6. CO2 & CH4
15%/year
Modified from D. T. Krohne, General Ecology

7. Fig 4.14 The Carbon Cycle. © 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers
Fig (a) Generalized global carbon cycle. (b) Parts of the carbon cycle are simplified to illustrate the cyclic nature of the movement of carbon. (Source: Modified from G. Lambert, La Recherche 18 (1987):, , with some data from R. Houghton, Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 74, no. 4 (1993): )
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

8. Fig Idealized diagram illustrating photosynthesis for a green plant (tree) and generalized reaction.
Fig Idealized diagram illustrating photosynthesis for a green plant (tree) and generalized reaction.
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

9. Fig 4.17 Global flux of carbon, 1850-1990.
Fig Global flux of carbon, Modified after Woods Hole, “The Missing Carbon Sink, 2000, accessed July 5, 2000.
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

10. 50% fertilizer
(Bacteria)
Modified from D. T. Krohne, General Ecology

11. Fig 4.19 The global nitrogen cycle.
Fig The global nitrogen cycle. Numbers in boxes indicate amounts stored, and numbers with arrows indicate annual flux, in 1012 gN2. Note that the industrial fixation of nitrogen is nearly equal to the global biological fixation (Source: Data from R. Soderlund and T. Rosswall, in The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Vo. 1, Pt. B, ed. O. Hutzinger[New York: Springer-Verlag, 1982].)
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

12. Effects of increased use of
Critical Thinking Issue – How are Human Activities Affecting the Nitrogen Cycle?
Effects of increased use of
nitrogen fertilizer:
Increased nitric acid in soil:
Leaching of magnesium and potassium
Increased aluminum levels
Plant root damage
Changes in microbe communities
Fish kills
Eutrophication of water bodies
Nitrates in drinking water
Global effects on plant based CO2 uptake
Critical Thinking Issue – How are Human Activities Affecting the Nitrogen Cycle?
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

13. D. T. Krohne, General Ecology D. T. Krohne, General Ecology
Gaseous
phase
Modified from D. T. Krohne, General Ecology

14. Fig 4.20 The global phosphorus cycle.
Fig The global phosphorus cycle. Phosphorus is recycled to soil and land biota through geologic processes that uplift the land an erode rocks, by birds that produce guano, and by human beings. Although Earth’s crust contains a very large amount of phosphorus, only a small fraction of it can be mined by conventional techniques. Therefore, phosphorus is an expensive resource to produce. Values of the amount of phosphorus stored or in flux are compiled from various sources. Estimates are approximate to the order of magnitude. (Source: Based primarily on C. C. Delwiche and G. E. Likens, “Biological Response to Fossil Fuel Combustion Products,” in global Chemical Cycles and Their Alterations by Man, ed. W. Stumm, [Berlin: Abakon Verlagsgesellschaft, 1977], pp ; and U. Pierrou, “The Global Phosphorus Cycle,” in Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur—Global Cycles, eds. B. H. Svensson and R. Soderlund [Stockholm: Ecological Bulletin, 1976, pp )
© 2003 John Wiley and Sons Publishers

15. Ecosystems and the Gaia Hypothesis

16. Ecosystem defined: a community of organisms and it’s corresponding abiotic environment through which matter cycles and energy flows
Wide variation in ecosystems
Boarders can be well defined or vague
Can be natural or artificial, managed or wild
Wide range in scale
Common to all ecosystems: energy flow and cycling of matter

18. Gaia Hypothesis(es) This alteration has allowed life to persist
Life has greatly affected the planetary environment
This alteration has allowed life to persist
The Earth is a “super-organism” - Life controls the environment in a fashion that is equivalent to the way an organism controls its various systems
Evolution?