MODULE I

ENVIRONMENT AND ECOSYSTEMS

LECTURE IV
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
BIO MEANS – LIFE ,GEO – MEANS EARTH
In nature, the materials needed by all organisms in an ecosystem are reused or
recycled.  
In a biological ecosystem that shows a constant flow of energy between
various organisms. There is an exchange of nutrients, which basically translates to
exchange of energy.
Nutrients ultimately are chemical compound and they never lost from an
ecosystem. Recycling of these nutrients happens at every stage.
 The cyclic flow of nutrients between non-living environment (soil, air and water)
and the living organisms is called BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
 Ecological systems have many biogeochemical cycles operating as a part of the
system, for example the water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, etc.
 All chemical elements occurring in organisms are part of biogeochemical cycles.
 In addition to being a part of living organisms, these chemical elements also cycle
through abiotic factors of ecosystems such as water (hydrosphere), land
(lithosphere), and/or the air (atmosphere)
 All the nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulphur used
in ecosystems by living organisms are a part of a biogeochemical cycle
 Flow of energy in an ecosystem is an open system, the sun constantly gives the
planet energy in the form of light while it is eventually used and lost in the form
of heat throughout the trophic level of a food web.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
Common biogeochemical cycles
A. Water cycle or Hydrologic cycle
B. Carbon cycle
C. Nitrogen cycle
D. Phosphorus cycle
E. Sulphur Cycle
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
WATER CYCLE OR HYDROLOGICAL CYCLE
The important cycle among all the materials is that of water.
Determines the structure and function of the ecosystem, and regulates the plant environment to
a large extent.
The cycling of all other elements is also dependent upon water as it provides the solvent medium
for their uptake.
Water cycle involves an exchange of water between the earth’s surface and the atmosphere via
precipitation and evapo-transpiration.
It has moderating effect on the temperature of the surrounding area by virtue of its heat
absorbing ability.
Protoplasm the very basis of life is made up of 85 to 95% of water. The content varies in different
tissues of the organism and in different plants and animals. Human blood is 90% water.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
HUMAN IMPACT ON WATER CYCLE

• Due to human activities, the natural hydrological cycle of most river basins is becoming
more and more transformed and strictly controlled.

• The major effects of reservoir construction on the hydrological cycle (excepting runoff
control) are an increase of evaporation and a rise of groundwater table.

• In many dry regions, a considerable rise in the groundwater table can occur because of
water filtration from reservoirs, leakage from water distributing systems, and faulty
irrigation technology. Such a rise may cause waterlogging of plants and development of
soil salinization.

• At some river basins the groundwater table often drops steeply, and this may reduce the
surface runoff and the lower level of the small rivers.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
CARBON CYCLE
Carbon is present in atmosphere, mainly in the form of carbon dioxide, and thus
it cycles in this gaseous phase.
Most of the carbon dioxide enters the living world through photosynthesis .
Without carbon dioxide no life could exist.it is vital to the production of
carbohydrates through photosynthesis in plants
Organic compounds synthesised are passed from producers to consumers.
During respiration , plants and animals release carbon back to the surrounding as
carbon dioxide.
The dead bodies of plants and animals as well as body waste accumulates carbon
compounds are decomposed by micro- organisms to release carbon dioxide.
CARBON
CYCLE
CARBON
CYCLE
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
HUMAN IMPACT ON CARBON CYCLE

• Burning of fossil fuels : The most important human impact on the carbon cycle is the burning
of fossil fuels, which releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere and enhances global
warming.

• Deforestation -  large-scale removal of trees from forests by people results in increased

levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere because trees are no longer absorbing
carbon dioxide for photosynthesis

• Industrialization -operating factories, accelerate (CO2) creation and escape into Earth's
natural environments. This translates to warmer air temperatures and higher acidity levels in
water bodies.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
CARBON CYCLE
Carbon from atmospheric pool moves to green plants (producers), then to
animals (consumers), and finally from these to bacteria, fungi and other
microorganisms (decomposers) that return it to the atmosphere, through
decomposition of dead organic matter.
Some of this is also returned to the atmosphere through respiration at various
levels in the food chain.
It is estimated that half of the carbon fixed is subsequently returned to the soil in
the form of decomposing organic matter.
 BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
NITROGEN CYCLE

• Nitrogen of the atmosphere is in the elemental form and cannot be used as such by living
organism.
• It has to be FIXED…….. i.e. combined with other elements such as hydrogen ,carbon ,
oxygen to become usable for green plants.
•  Nitrogen Cycle is a biogeochemical process through which nitrogen is converted into many
forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the
atmosphere.
• It involves several processes such as nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, decay
and putrefaction.
• Main sources of nitrogen for plants are nitrates in the soil.
NITROGEN
CYCLE
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
NITROGEN CYCLE
• The atmospheric nitrogen is fixed symbiotically as well as asymbiotically by a variety of
microorganisms.

• The chief nitrogen fixers are bacteria belonging to the genus Rhizobium found in root
nodules of legumes.

• Some proportion of atmospheric nitrogen is fixed during lightening also.

• The fixed atmospheric nitrogen reaches the soil as nitrates, which are taken up by plants for
manufacture of complex nitrogenous compounds which in turn, are eaten by animals. 
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
NITROGEN CYCLE
• This releases nitrogen either in free stage or as ammonia gas in the atmosphere. Ammonia
gas may reach the soil as nitrates through the activity of nitrifying microbes, Nitrosomonas
and Nitrobacter. 
• Some nitrates of soil due to activity of denitrifying microbes,.
• Pseudomonas, may also be converted to free nitrogen gas returning to the atmosphere.
• This inorganic nitrogen is again recycled into the organic system upon absorption by higher
plants.
 BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
SULPHUR CYCLE
• Sulphur is a component of sedimentary cycle.

• It is found in the gaseous forms (H2S, SO2, etc.) in the atmosphere, and as sulphates,
sulphides and organic-sulphur in the soil.

• SO2 gas present in the atmosphere is produced volcanically, by burning of vegetation, and
and burning fossil fuels.
 SULPHUR CYCLE
1. Mineralization of organic sulphur to the
inorganic form, hydrogen sulphide.
2. Oxidation of sulphide and elemental
sulphur and related compounds to
sulphate .
3. Reduction of sulphate to sulphide.
4. Microbial immobilization of the
sulphur compounds and subsequent
incorporation into the organic form of
sulphur.

NB: The key difference between assimilatory and dissimilatory sulphate reduction is

that assimilatory sulphate reduction produces cysteine as an end product while
dissimilatory sulphate reduction produces sulfide as an end product.
 BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
PHOPHORUS CYCLE

 The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus from the environment to

organisms and then back to the environment
 The phosphorus cycle may also be referred to as the mineral cycle or sedimentary cycle.
 Unlike the other cycles, phosphorus cannot be found in air in the gaseous state.The
phosphorus cycle is the SLOWEST cycle.
 The atmosphere does not play a significant role in the movement of phosphorus,
because phosphorus and phosphorus-based compounds are usually solids at the typical
ranges of temperature and pressure found on Earth.
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
PHOPHORUS CYCLE

 Phosphate salts that are released from rocks through weathering usually
dissolve in soil water and will be absorbed by plants.
 Animals absorb phosphates by eating plants or plant-eating animals.
 When animals and plants die, phosphates will return to the soils or oceans
again during decomposition.
 After that, phosphorus will end up in sediments or rock formations again,
remaining there for millions of years. Eventually, phosphorus is released again
through weathering and the cycle starts over.
PHOSPHORUS
CYCLE
BIO-GEO-CHEMICAL CYCLES
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
HUMAN IMPACT ON PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

• Use of fertilizers increases phosphorus runoff into our waterways and

contributes to eutrophication.

• Waters are enriched in P from farms run off, and from effluent that is
inadequately treated before it is discharged to waters.

• Cultural or anthropogenic eutrophication, however, is water pollution

caused by excessive plant nutrients, which results in excessive growth in
algae population

• Surface and subsurface runoff and erosion from high-P soils may be major
contributing factors to fresh water eutrophication.