NATURAL RESOURCES

Biogeochemical cycles

Name : anandhakrishnan T.A

Class : 9C ; Roll no.: 5
 WATER CYCLE

Circulation of water on the earth is called water cycle or hydrological cycle .Water exists
as water vapour in atmosphere . Water vapour undergoes condensation and we receive
rainfall . Rain water percolates into soil . Certain amount of rainwater goes into water
bodies . From the soil water is absorbed by plants . Plants during transpiration gives
water back to atmosphere.
diagrammatic representation
 NITROGEN CYCLE
The amount of nitrogen present in the atmosphere is 78%. The nitrogen is present in the
atmosphere as N2 . Plants cannot use this . Nitrogen fixing bacteria like rhizobium , a
symbiotic bacteria living within the root modules of leguminous plants convert nitrogen to
ammonia . The ammonia is acted upon by a bacteria called Nitrosomonas and it is converted
to nitrites . Nitrites are acted upon by Nitrobacter and it is converted into nitrates , this
process is called nitrification . Nitrites and nitrates in the soil are absorbed by the plants and
they are used to make proteins, vitamins and nucleic acid, etc in the protoplasm of plants ,
when animals consume these plants , proteins from the body of plants are transferred into the
body of animals . When plants and animals die and decay they are acted upon by
ammonifying bacteria . They convert proteins present in the dead body into ammonia . This
process is called ammonification . Nitrates are acted upon by a denitrifying bacteria called
pseudomonas and it is converted back to atmospheric nitrogen . This process is called
denitrification .
Some amount of nitrogen is fixed into oxides during lightning . These oxides may react with
rainwater forming nitric acid or acid rain . This is called physical nitrogen fixation .
diagrammatic representation
 CARBON CYCLE

The percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere is 0.03% . This is always kept a constant by
carbon cycle . Plants utilize CO2 during photosynthesis and it is converted to
carbohydrates in plants . These carbohydrates get into the body of animals when they
consume plants . Animals and plants release CO2 to the atmosphere during respiration .
Animals and plants undergo fossilization to form coal and petroleum . During combustion,
coal and petroleum releases CO2 to the atmosphere . A small amount of CO2 dissolves in
H2O to form carbonates , they undergo the process of weathering to release CO2 .
diagrammatic representation
 OXYGEN CYCLE

Oxygen exist as in the form of diatomic oxygen int the atmosphere (O2) . This oxygen exist in air
about 21% , which is captured by plants and animals and is taken up in the process called
respiration , in which oxidation of food occur , so that means for the respiration we need O2
and more raw material , i.e. the food and more common food is glucose , which is used in the
respiration by plants and animals . In the process when we respire we used to release CO2 and
H2O into the atmosphere . This CO2 and H2O is in turn captured by the plants during
photosynthesis and in turn release oxygen gas to the atmosphere as well as glucose . This is
how balance of o2 is maintained .
diagrammatic representation
THANK YOU

Name : anandhakrishnan T.A

Class : 9C ; Roll no.: 5