NUTRIENT CYCLES

Prof. Murray, Univ of Illinois at Chicago

 NUTRIENT CYCLES: ECOSYSTEM TO
ECOSPHERE

 Nutrient cycling occurs at the

local level through the action
of the biota.
 Nutrient cycling occurs at the
global level through geological
processes, such as,
atmospheric circulation,
erosion and weathering.
 NUTRIENT CYCLES
 The atoms of earth and life are the same; they just find
themselves in different places at different times.
 Most of the calcium in your bones came from cows,
who got it from corn, which took it from rocks that
were once formed in the sea.
 The path atoms take from the living (biotic) to the
non-living (abiotic) world and back again is called a
biogeochemical cycle.
Nutrients: The Elements of Life
 Of the 50 to 70 atoms
(elements) that are found
in living things, only 15 or
so account for the major
portion of living biomass. O OXYGEN K POTASSIUM P PHOSPHORUS
 Only around half of these C CARBON Si SILICON Cl CHLORINE

15 have been studied H HYDROGEN Mg MAGNESIUM Fe IRON

extensively as they travel N NITROGEN S SULFUR Mn MANGANESE

through ecosystems or Ca CALCIUM Al ALUMINUM Na SODIUM

circulate on a global scale.

 A GENERALIZED MODEL OF
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN AN
ECOSYSTEM
 The cycling of nutrients in an
ecosystem are interlinked by
an a number of processes that
move atoms from and
through organisms and to and
from the atmosphere, soil
and/or rocks, and water.
 Nutrients can flow between
these compartments along a
variety of pathways.
Nutrient Compartments in a Terrestrial
Ecosystem
 The organic compartment consists of the living
organisms and their detritus.
 The available-nutrient compartment consists of
nutrients held to surface of soil particles or in
solution.
 The third compartment consists of nutrients held in
soils or rocks that are unavailable to living organisms.
 The fourth compartment is the air which can be
found in the atmosphere or in the ground.
 Uptake of Inorganic Nutrients from
the Soil
 With the exception of CO2 and O2
which enter though leaves, the
main path of all other nutrients is
from the soil through the roots of
producers.
 Even consumers which find Ca, P, S
and other elements in the water
they drink, obtain the majority of
these nutrients either directly or
indirectly from producers.
 E.g. you get calcium from milk which
came from the diet of the cow –
producers.
The Atmosphere Is a Source of
Inorganic Nutrients
 The atmosphere acts as a
reservoir for carbon dioxide
(CO2), oxygen (O2) and water
(H2O).
 These inorganic compounds can
be exchanged directly with the
biota through the processes of
photosynthesis and respiration.
 The most abundant gas in the
atmosphere is nitrogen
(N2);about 80% by volume. Its
entry into and exit from the
biota is through bacteria.
Some Processes By Which Nutrients
Are Recycled
 Cycling within an
ecosystem involves a
number of processes.
 These are best
considered by focusing
attention on specific
nutrients.
CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN
CYCLES IN ECOSYSTEMS
 C, H & O basic elements of life; making up from
about 98% of plant biomass.
 CO2 and O2 enter biota from the atmosphere.
 Producers convert CO2 and H2O into
carbohydrates (CH2O compounds) and release O2
from water.
 Producers, consumers and decomposers convert
CH2O compounds, using O2, back into CO2 and
H2O.
 CARBON, HYDROGEN AND OXYGEN
CYCLES IN ECOSYSTEMS

 Carbon and oxygen cycle come out of the air as carbon

dioxide during photosynthesis and are returned during
respiration.
 Oxygen is produced from water during photosynthesis and
combines with the hydrogen to form water during
respiration.
PHOSPHOROUS CYCLE IN
ECOSYSTEMS
 Phosphorus, as phosphate (PO4-3), is an
essential element of life.
 It does not cycle through atmosphere,
thus enters producers through the soil
and is cycled locally through producers,
consumers and decomposers.
 Generally, small local losses by leaching
are balanced by gains from the
weathering of rocks.
 Over very long time periods
(geological time) phosphorus follows a
sedimentary cycle.
NITROGEN CYCLE IN ECOSYSTEMS
 Nitrogen (N2) makes up 78%
of the atmosphere.
 Most living things, however,
can not use atmospheric
nitrogen to make amino-acids
and other nitrogen containing
compounds.
 They are dependent on
nitrogen fixing bacteria to
convert N2 into NH3(NH4+).
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
 Only a few species of
bacteria and cyanobacteria
are capable of nitrogen
fixation.
 Some are fee-living and
others form mutualistic
associations with plants.
 A few are lichens.
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.
 In urban areas, at least half of these
pollutants come cars and other
vehicles.
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.
 Biological Nitrogen Fixation
 Nitrogen fixation is the largest
source of soil nitrogen in natural
ecosystems.
 Free-living soil bacteria and
cyanobacteria (blue-green “algae”)
are capable of converting N2 into
ammonia (NH3) and ammonium
(NH4+).
 Symbiotic bacteria (Rhizobium) in
the nodules of legumes and certain
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

other plants can also fix nitrogen.

Nitrification
 Several species of
bacteria can convert
ammonium (NH4+)
into nitrites (NO2-).
 Other bacterial species
convert nitrites (NO2-)
to nitrates (NO3-).
Uptake of Nitrogen by Plants
 Plants can take in either ammonium
(NH4+) or nitrates (NO3-) and make
amino acids or nucleic acids.
 These molecules are the building blocks
of proteins and DNA, RNA, ATP, NADP,
respectively.
 These building blocks of life are passed
on to other trophic levels through
consumption and decomposition.
Ammonification
 Decomposers convert
organic nitrogen (CHON)
into ammonia (NH3) and
ammonium (NH4+).
 A large number of species
of bacteria and fungi are
capable of converting
organic molecules into
ammonia.
Denitrification
 A broad range of bacterial
species can convert
nitrites, nitrates and
nitrous oxides into
molecular nitrogen (N2).
 They do this under
anaerobic conditions as a
means of obtaining
oxygen (O2).
 Thus, the recycling of N is
complete.
 NITROGEN CYCLE IN ECOSYSTEMS
 Molecular nitrogen in the air can be
fixed into ammonia by a few species of
prokaryotes.
 Other bacterial species convert NH4-
into NO2- and others to N03-.
 Producers can take up NH4- and to
N03- use it to make CHON.
 Decomposers use CHON and
produce NH4-.
 Recycling is complete when still other
species convert N03- and NO2- into
N2.
NUTRIENT LOSS IN ECOSYSTEMS I
 The role of vegetation in nutrient
cycles is clearly seen in clear cut
experiments at Hubbard Brook.
 When all vegetation was cut from a
38-acre watershed, the output of
water and loss of nutrients
increased; 60 fold for nitrates, and
at least 10 fold for other nutrients.
 Freeman describes the
experiments on page 1254 and in
Figure 54.15.
NUTRIENT LOSS IN ECOSYSTEMS II
NUTRIENT LOSS IN ECOSYSTEMS III
GLOBAL NUTRIENT CYCLES
 The loss of nutrients from
one ecosystem means a
gain for another.
(Remember the law of
conservation of matter.)
 When ecosystems become
linked in this manor,
attention shifts to a global
scale. One is now
considering the
ECOSPHERE or the whole
of planet earth.
GLOBAL WATER CYCLE
 Oceans contain a little less than 98% of the earth’s
water.
 Around 1.8% is ice; found in the two polar ice caps
and mountain glaciers.
 Only 0.5% is found in the water table and ground
water.
 The atmosphere contains only 0.001% of the earth’s
water, but is the major driver of weather.
GLOBAL WATER CYCLE
 The rate at which water cycles
is shown in Figure 54.16
(Freeman, 2005).
 Evaporation exceeds
precipitation over the oceans;
thus there is a net movement of
water to the land.
 Nearly 60% of the precipitation
that falls on land is either
evaporated or transpired by
plants; the remainder is runoff
and ground water.
GLOBAL WATER CYCLE
 GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE
 All but a small portion of the
earth’s carbon (C) is tied up in
sedimentary rocks; but the
portion that circulates is what
sustains life.
 The active pool of carbon is
estimated to be around 40,000
gigatons.
 Of active carbon, 93.2 % found in
the ocean; 3.7% in soils; 1.7% in
atmosphere; 1.4% in vegetation.
GLOBAL CARBON CYCLE
GLOBAL NITROGEN CYCLE I

 99.4% of exchangeable N is found

in the atmosphere; 0.5% is
dissolved in the ocean; 0.04% in
detritus ; 0.006% as inorganic N
sources; 0.0004% in living biota.
 Figure 54.19 in Freeman (2005)
gives major pathways and rates of
exchange.
GLOBAL NITROGEN CYCLE II
 Humans are adding large amounts of N to
ecosystems.
 Among the fossil fuel sources, power plants and
automobiles are important sources of
atmospheric nitrogen deposition in the US.
 Investigations of native plant and natural
ecosystem responses to nitrogen deposition and
global warming will be a focus of study.
 E.g. invasive species tend to be more devastating to
ecosystems with high soil nitrogen content
GLOBAL NITROGEN CYCLE