Environmental Science

The Four Biogeochemical

Cycles

BSIT – 2B

Submitted by: Lerin, Marygrace T.

Submitted to: Mr. Robert Amploquio
The Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle begins with the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere entering the
photosynthesis of plants, becomes a part of them, and is then passed onto the
animals or to whoever has eaten them. Then the wastes or organic matter produced
enters the soil and then turns into fossil carbon. At the same moment at the ocean,
oceanic photosynthesis and respiration occurs and the dead marine life becomes
sediments and enters deep down the ocean floor and also turns into fossil carbon.

The fossil carbon is then processed into fossil fuels and is then used by the
factories created by humans. The burning of fossil fuels, human/animal respiration,
deforestation, and plant respiration releases carbon back to the atmosphere.
The Nitrogen Cycle

The nitrogen cycle begins with the naturally existing nitrogen in the atmosphere,
where it enters the living world by the means of the nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The
nitrogen from the atmosphere and the nitrogen given by the wastes of animals and
plants - which are decomposed by the bacteria present in the soil and produces
ammonium or in other words, the ammonification - are then processed by the
nitrifying bacteria which bring forth the Nitrites and Nitrates. These compounds
make it easy for the plants to absorb the much needed nitrogen as nutrients. Then
the denitrifying bacteria present in the soil denitrifies or removes the nitrogen from
the soil, turning it back to its gaseous form into the atmosphere.
The Phosphorus Cycle

The phosphorus cycle starts with the geological uplifting, and then undergoes
weathering of phosphate from rocks with the use of the eroding power of rain and
then runs off to the sea. Phosphates are also absorbed by the plants, which are then
eaten by the animals, and are decomposed by the decomposers present in the soil
when the animals die. The decomposed matter produces phosphate in soil which is
either absorbed by other plants or runs off to the sea by leaching. Detritus or the
stone fragments and silts then settles to the bottom of the sea and undergoes
sedimentation which forms new rock. After much time passes, much quantity of
detritus become rocks and are then raise up to the ground by geological uplifting.
The Oxygen Cycle

The oxygen cycle starts with the existing oxygen in the atmosphere is then used by
living beings through respiration. The oxygen is then assimilated in the biomass,
and gets buried under the soil together with the organic matter. Some parts of the
oxygen are dissolved into the water and gets back up to the surface with the
hydrologic cycle. And the existing oxygen trapped underground gets back up to the
surface through several weathering processes to be used again by living beings.
And the carbon released is then used by the plants in their photosynthesis to
produce oxygen back to the atmosphere.