BLESSELLE JOY D.

ORO BTM33 BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES CARBON CYCLE

November 22, 2013

Plants take in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis. Animals consume plants or other animals, and all living things contain carbon. Carbon is what makes organic molecules organic. Carbon is necessary for the creation of molecules such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Plants release carbon dioxide when they decompose. Animals release carbon dioxide when they decompose or respire. Carbon dioxide also is released when organic matter such as wood, leaves, coal, or oil are burned. The carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere, where it can be taken in by more plants that are then consumed by animals. Decomposing animals and plants leach carbon into the ground, forming fossil fuels such as coal or oil. Peat also forms from the decomposition of organic matter. Some carbon is stored in the form of cellulose in the wood of trees and bushes. Facts: - Carbon (C) enters the biosphere during photosynthesis: - CO2 + H2O ---> C6H12O6 + O2 + H2O - Carbon is returned to the biosphere in cellular respiration: - O2 +H2O + C6H12O6 ---> CO2 +H2O + energy NITROGEN CYCLE Because amino acids build proteins, nitrogen is pretty important. Nitrogen also is present in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA. Life could not go on without nitrogen. The nitrogen cycle is the most complex biogeochemical cycle because nitrogen can exist in several different forms. Nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and ammonification are all parts of the nitrogen cycle. Facts: - Nitrogen (N) is an essential constituent of protein, DNA, RNA, and chlorophyll. - N is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere, but it must be fixed or converted into a usable form. OXYGEN CYCLE As a constituent of CO2 it circulates freely throughout the biosphere. Some CO2 combines with Ca to form carbonates. O2 combines with nitrogen compounds to form nitrates. O2 combines with iron compounds to form ferric oxides. It includes photosynthesis and respiration. O2 in the troposphere is reduced to O3. Ground level O3 is a pollutant which damages lungs. Facts: - photo disassociation of H2O vapour - photosynthesis PHOSPHORUS CYCLE ATP, that ubiquitous energy molecule created by every living thing, needs phosphorus. You can tell that by its name; triphosphate indicates that it contains three molecules of phosphate, which requires phosphorus. DNA and RNA, the genetic molecules present in every living thing, have phosphate bonds holding them together, so they require phosphorus, too, as does bone tissue. Plants absorb inorganic phosphate from the soil. When animals consume plants or other animals, they acquire the phosphorus that was present in their meal. Phosphorus is excreted through the

waste products created by animals, and it is released by decomposing plants and animals. When phosphorus gets returned to the soil, it can be absorbed again by plants, or it becomes part of the sediment layers that eventually form rocks. As rocks erode by the action of water, phosphorus is returned to water and soil. Facts: - Component of DNA, RNA, ATP, proteins and enzymes - Cycles in a sedimentary cycle - A good example of how a mineral element becomes part of an organism. - The source of Phosphorus (P) is rock. - It is soluble in H2O as phosphate (PO4) SULFUR CYCLE Sulfur is released into the atmosphere through the burning of fossil fuels --especially high sulfur coal--and is a primary constituent of acid rain. Sulfuric acid is the primary constituent of acid in about all regions other than California. Sulfur dioxide and carbonyl sulfide occur in small quantities in the atmosphere; but due to its high reactivity, sulfur is quickly deposited as compound (sulfates) on land and other surfaces. Facts: - Component of protein - Cycles in both a gas and sedimentary cycle. - The source of Sulfur is the lithosphere - H2S is immediately oxidized to sulfur dioxide - SO2 and water vapor makes H2SO4, which is then carried to Earth in rainfall. - Sulfur in soluble form is taken up by plant roots and incorporated into amino acids such as cysteine. It then travels through the food chain and is eventually released through decomposition. ROCK CYCLE Igneous rock can change into sedimentary rock or into metamorphic rock. Sedimentary rock can change into metamorphic rock or into igneous rock. Metamorphic rock can change into igneous or sedimentary rock.

REFERENCES: http://www.cotf.edu/ete/modules/msese/earthsysflr/rock.html http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/htm/educator-resources/lessonplans/wc/ http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/environ/m3/s4/cycleSulfur.shtml http://classes.geology.illinois.edu/05SprgClass/geo497/Class%204/phosphorus.htm http://bioh.wikispaces.com/More+Elemental+Cycles http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/9r.html http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/environ/m3/s4/cycleOxygen.shtml https://files.nyu.edu/pet205/public/biogeochem1.html http://telstar.ote.cmu.edu/environ/m3/s4/cycleSulfur.shtml http://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/discovering-the-biogeochemical-cycles.html