BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL

BIO: Biology, Life, living things. These cycles all play a role in the lives of living things. The cycles might limit the
organisms of earth or they might happen alongside, changing environment

GEO: Earth, Rocks, Land. This refers to non-living processes at work.

CHEMICAL: Molecules, Reactions, Atoms. All cycles include these small pathways. Complete ,molecules are
not always passed from one point to the next. Sometimes chemical reaction take place that changes the
molecules and locations of the atoms.

How do elements move through the Biogeochemical Cycle?

Elements travel among air, land and sea through physical processes.
Organisms use elements as nutrients and put nutrients back into the environment.

Reservoirs – is where the element is accumulated or held for a long period of time.

Classification of Biogeochemical Cycles

Perfect biogeochemical Cycles (Gaseous Cycle) - these are characterized by a large available abiotic pool
of the substance.

Example:
 Carbon
 Nitrogen
 Oxygen
 Water cycles

Imperfect biogeochemical Cycles (Sedimentary Cycle) - these are characterized by the absence of large
available pool of the substance. The available pool is the earth’s crust.

Example of this type is the phosphorus cycle.

THE BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE involves the movement of elements and compounds among the land
(lithosphere), organisms, air (atmosphere) and the oceans (hydrosphere).

GAS CYCLES elements move through the atmosphere. Main reservoirs are the atmosphere and the oceans.

The Carbon Cycle

The carbon cycle is the continuous movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and
back.
Carbon Cycle - It allows the carbon to be recycled and reused throughout the biosphere and all of its
organisms.
The carbon cycle was first discovered by Joseph Priestley and Antoine Lavoisier, and popularized by
Humphry Davy.

CARBON AND OXYGEN CYCLES

 Carbon and oxygen are critical for life on Earth, and their cycles are tied closely together.
 The carbon cycle is the continuous movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living
things and back.
 The burning of this fuel, called combustion, also releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

Five major reservoirs:

1. Atmosphere
2. Terrestrial Biosphere [fresh water system and soil carbon (non-living organic)]
3. Oceans (inorganic carbon and living and non-living marine biota)
4. Sediments (fossil fuel)
5. Earth’s interior (mantle and crust)

Global Carbon Budget is the balance of the exchanges (incomes and losses) of carbon between the carbon
reservoirs or between one specific loop (e.g., atmosphere ↔ biosphere) of the carbon cycle.

The Greenhouse Effect is the rise in temperature that the Earth experiences because certain gases in the
atmosphere like water vapor, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane trap energy from the sun.

Ocean Acidification results from an increased concentration of hydrogen ions and a reduction in carbonate
ions due to the absorption of increased amounts of CO2.

EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON CARBON CYCLE

We alter the carbon cycle by adding excess CO2 to the atmosphere through:
 Burning of fossil fuels
 Clearing vegetation faster than it is replaced.
 Just breathing
The Oxygen Cycle

Oxygen Cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of oxygen

Sources of Oxygen:
 Photosynthesis and respiration
 Photo disassociation of H2O vapor
 CO2 and O2 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.
 O2 in the troposphere is reduced to O3 (ozone).
 Ground level O3 (ozone) is a pollutant which damages lungs.

Three main reservoirs:

1. Atmosphere (air)
2. Biosphere
3. Lithosphere

Lack of oxygen in Hydrosphere will result a Hypoxic Zones.

Driving factor – Photosynthesis  responsible for modern Earth’s atmosphere and life.

Combustion Processes is where the oxygen is withdrawn from the atmosphere; thus, there is an increase in
Carbon Dioxide.

IMPORTANCE OF OXYGEN CYCLE

Breathing – It is the physical process, through which all living organisms, including plants, animals and humans
inhale oxygen from the outside environment into the cells of an organism and exhale carbon dioxide back into
the atmosphere.
Decomposition: It is one of the natural and most important processes in the oxygen cycle and occurs when an
organism dies. The dead animal or plants decay into the ground, and the organic matter along with the
carbon, oxygen, water and other components are returned into the soil and air.
Combustion: It is also one of the most important processes which occur when any of the organic materials,
including fossil fuels, plastics and wood, are burned in the presence of oxygen and releases carbon dioxide into
the atmosphere.
Rusting: This process also requires oxygen. It is the formation of oxides which is also called oxidation. In this
process, metals like iron or alloy rust when they are exposed to moisture and oxygen for an extended period
of time and new compounds of oxides are formed by the combination of oxygen with the metal.
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, and organisms in an
ecosystem.

The main component of the nitrogen cycle starts with the element nitrogen in the air. Nitrogen, another
essential element, must also be cycled.

Proteins are the structural components of all living things.

About 78% of the atmosphere is nitrogen gas.

Nitrogen Fixation – is where nitrogen can be made available to plants and animals.
Nitrification is where an ammonia or ammonium is converted by other bacteria into nitrite ions
Ammonification is where the remains of plants and animals are broken down by decomposers releasing
ammonia or ammonium in the process.
Denitrification which converts nitrates back to nitrogen gas.

SOURCES OF NITROGEN TO THE SOIL

• Natural ecosystems receive their soil nitrogen through biological fixation and atmospheric deposition.
• Agricultural ecosystems receive additional nitrogen through fertilizer addition.

BIOLOGICAL SOURCES OF SOIL NITROGEN

 (Rhizobium in the nodules of legumes and certain other plants can also fix nitrogen)

ATMOSPHERIC SOURCES OF SOIL NITROGEN

 Lightning was the major source of soil nitrogen until recent times when the burning of fossil fuels
became a major source of atmospheric deposition.
 Nitrogen oxides come from a variety of combustion sources that use fossil fuels.

EFFECTS OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON THE NITROGEN CYCLE

 Adding nitrous oxide to the atmosphere through farming practices which can harm the atmosphere
and deplete ozone.
 Contaminating ground water from nitrate ions in inorganic fertilizers
 Releasing nitrogen into troposphere through deforestation.

AGRICULTURAL SUPPLEMENTS TO SOIL NITROGEN

• Various forms of commercial fertilizer are added to agricultural fields to supplement the nitrogen lost
through plant harvest.
• Crop rotation with legumes such as soybeans or alfalfa is also practiced to supplement soil nitrogen.
Importance of Nitrogen Cycle

Organisms use nitrogen to make vital organic compounds such as amino acids, proteins, DNA, and RNA.

In both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, nitrogen is typically in short supply and limits the rate of
primary production = LIMITING FACTOR!

WATER CYCLE
The water cycle continuously moves water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans.

The water cycle consists of evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Three Principal ‘loops” in the Cycle

 Surface Run-off Loop - water runs across the ground
surface and becomes part of the surface water system
 Evapotranspiration Loop - water enters the soil, is held as
capillary Water and then returns to the atmosphere by way of
evapotranspiration
 Ground Water Loop - water enters and moves through the earth finally exiting through
springs, seeps or wells and rejoins the surface water.

SEDIMENTARY CYCLES elements move from land to water to sediments. Main reservoirs are the soil and
sedimentary rocks.

The Phosphorus Cycle

The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the surroundings to
organisms and then back to the surroundings.

Phosphorus is often found in soil and rock as calcium phosphate, which dissolves in water to form phosphate.

Phosphorus is also a building block of certain parts of the human and animal body, such as the bones
and teeth.

THE PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

 Weathering: The phosphate salts are mostly found in rocks and are hence broken down and washed
away from the rocks into the ground. Hence it is seen that the process starts from the earth’s crust.
 Absorption by Plants: The phosphate salts once dissolved in soil will be absorbed by the plants
however the amount taken is very less. Hence some phosphate fertilizers are added by farmers for the
plants to take in. However as phosphates do not properly dissolve in water they are not absorbed by
the life in aquatic ecosystems.
 Absorption by Animals: The animals absorb most of the phosphorus content by consumption of other
animals and plants. The rate of phosphorus cycle is faster in most animals compared to as seen in
rocks.
  Phosphorus being returned to the ecosystem: The plants and animals then tend to die and hence pass
on the phosphorus from their body back to the ecosystem which is converted into the inorganic form
and recycled to rocks and soil. This step is further again seen by weathering and hence the cycle goes
again on.

Eutrophication is the process in which a water body becomes overly enriched with nutrients, leading to
plentiful growth of simple plant life. The excessive growth (or bloom) of algae and plankton in a water body
are indicators of this process.

EFFECTS OF EUTROPHICATION
Primarily, the adverse effects of eutrophication on aquatic bodies include a decrease in biodiversity, increase
in toxicity of the water body, and change in species dominance.

The Sulfur Cycle

 Sulfur is one of the most abundant elements on the earth.
 It is a yellow, brittle, tasteless, odorless non-metal.
 Sulfur is present in all kinds of proteins. Plants directly absorb sulfur-containing amino acids such as
methionine, cystine, and cysteine.
 It then travels through the food chain and is eventually released through decomposition.

STEPS IN SULFUR CYCLE

1. Decomposition of organic compounds: The proteins tend to release amino acids consisting of sulfur
acids which are then reduced to hydrogen sulfide by functioning of bacteria Desulfotomaculum.
2. Oxidation of hydrogen sulfide to elemental sulfur: This process is done by bacteria belonging to
Chlorobiaceae and Chromatiaceae.
3. Oxidation of elemental sulfur: The sulfur which has turned to its elemental form cannot be readily
taken by plants and is hence converted to sulfates by chemolithotrophic bacteria found in soil.
4. Reduction of Sulfates: The sulfates are then converted to hydrogen sulfide by the bacteria named
Desulfovibrio desulfuricans. There are two steps for the same where firstly the sulfates are converted
to sulfites by using ATP and the second step consists of reduction of reduction of sulfate to hydrogen
sulfide.

EFFECT OF HUMAN ACTIVITIES ON THE SULFUR CYCLE

We add sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere by:
 Burning coal and oil
 Refining sulfur containing petroleum
 Convert sulfur-containing metallic ores into free metals such as copper, lead, and zinc releasing sulfur
dioxide into the environment.

Acid rain
Combustion of fossil fuels releases tremendous amount of sulfur containing gas into the atmosphere
particularly sulfur dioxide. When these gases combine with the moisture in the atmosphere, they return
to the ground as sulfuric acid and nitric acids. These are popularly known as acid rain. Acid rain brings
damage to the lakes, the soil, forest, and buildings.

IMPORTANCE OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE

 Biogeochemical cycles enable the transfer of molecules from one locality to another. This allows the
transformation of elements into utilizable forms.
 Biogeochemical cycles enable the transformation of nutrients from one form to another. This allows
the utilization of nutrients in specific forms by a particular organism.
 Biogeochemical cycles facilitate the storage of elements – Different types of nutrient reservoirs are
produced by each of the different steps of the biogeochemical cycles.
 Biogeochemical cycles assist in the functioning of ecosystems – The biotic and abiotic components of
the ecosystem are linked by the flow of nutrients through biogeochemical cycles. Different types of
organisms utilize different levels of nutrients.

SUMMARY
 The building blocks of life :Water ,Nitrogen, Carbon Dioxide, Phosphorus, Sulfur
 Continually cycle through Earth's systems, the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and lithosphere,
on time scales that range from a few days to millions of years.
 These cycles are called biogeochemical cycles, because they include a variety of biological, geological,
and chemical processes.