Biochem Lecture

Nutrient Cycling
What Sustains Life on Earth?
 Solar energy,
the cycling of
matter, and
gravity sustain
the earth’s life.
Figure 3-7
Two Secrets of Survival: Energy Flow
and Matter Recycle
 An ecosystem
survives by a
combination of
energy flow and
matter recycling.
Figure 3-14
MATTER CYCLING IN ECOSYSTEMS
 Nutrient Cycles: Global Recycling

• Global Cycles recycle nutrients through
the earth’s air, land, water, and living
organisms.
• Nutrients are the elements and
compounds that organisms need to live,
grow, and reproduce.
• Biogeochemical cycles move these
substances through air, water, soil, rock
and living organisms.
Chemical Cycling in Ecosystems
• Life depends on the recycling of chemicals.

• Nutrients are acquired and waste
products are released by living
organisms.
• At death, decomposers return the
complex molecules of an organism to
the environment.
• The pool of inorganic nutrients is used
by plants and other producers to build
new organic matter.
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
6
The General Scheme of Chemical Cycling
• Biogeochemical cycles involve

• Biotic components
• Abiotic components from an
abiotic reservoir where a
chemical accumulates or is
stockpiled outside of living
organisms
Consumers
Producers
Decomposers
Nutrients
available
to producers
Abiotic
reservoir
Geologic processes
Figure 20.31
• Biogeochemical cycles can be
• Local
• Global
• Important biogeochemical cycles are
• carbon cycle,
• nitrogen cycle,
• oxygen cycle,
• phosphorus cycle,
• sulfur cycle,
• Calcium cycle
• water cycle; and
• rock cycle.
The Carbon Cycle
• The cycling of carbon between the

biotic and abiotic worlds is
accomplished mainly by the
reciprocal metabolic processes of
• Photosynthesis
• Cellular respiration
CO2 in atmosphere
Burning
Photosynthesis
Cellular respiration
Higher-level Plants, algae,

consumers cyanobacteria
Wood Primary
and fossil consumers
fuels
Decomposition
Wastes; death Plant litter;

death
Decomposers
Detritus
(soil microbes)
Figure 20.32
Carbon is an important part of ocean
chemistry
The pH Scale
ACIDS
A small change in pH is
equal to a LARGE change
in acidity.
BASES
www.thegardenersresource.com
Carbonic acid
CO2 + H2O H2CO3 reduces
carbonic acid ocean pH.
The ocean is a carbon sink
 The ocean absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere

 Physical and biological processes move some of
the carbon to the deep ocean where it is stored
 The capture and storage of carbon is known as
carbon sequestration
Photo: NOAA
Our ocean
captures and stores
carbon
14
Humans affect the amount of CO2 in the
ocean
 Transportation, industry and things we do at

home, like use electricity, have contributed to
rising CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, which
are then absorbed by the ocean
15
How is marine life affected?
 Sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs may

decline due to change in pH and slower
construction of coral exoskeletons.
16
Photo: NOAA
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen is
• An ingredient of proteins and
nucleic acids
• Essential to the structure and
functioning of all organisms
• Nitrogen has two abiotic reservoirs:
• The atmosphere
• The soil
• The process of nitrogen fixation
converts gaseous N2 to ammonia and
nitrates, which can be used by plants.
• Most of the nitrogen available in
natural ecosystems comes from
biological fixation performed by two
types of nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Nutrient Pollution
• The growth of algae and cyanobacteria in aquatic

ecosystems is limited by low nutrient levels,
especially of phosphorus and nitrogen.
• Nutrient pollution occurs when human activities
add excess amounts of these chemicals to
aquatic ecosystems.
Figure 20.35
Oxygen Cycle
 Describes the movement of oxygen within its

three main reservoirs:
• the atmosphere (air),
• biosphere (the global sum of all ecosystems), and
• the lithosphere (Earth's crust).
 Main driving factor:

• Photosynthesis (recall the Great Oxygenation
Event)
The Phosphorus Cycle
• Organisms require phosphorus as an ingredient

of
• Nucleic acids
• Phospholipids
• ATP
• Phosphorus is also required as a mineral
component of vertebrate bones and teeth.
• The phosphorus cycle does not have an
atmospheric component.
Uplifting
of rock
Weathering
of rock
Phosphates
in rock Animals
Runoff
Plants
Assimilation
Phosphates Detritus
Phosphates in soil
in solution (inorganic)
Solid Decomposition
Rock Decomposers
phosphates
in soil
Figure 20.33
Sulfur Cycle
 Sulfur is mainly found on Earth as sulfates in

rocks or as free sulfur.
 Sulfur moves to and from minerals (including the
waterways) and living systems.
Water Cycle
 Describes the continuous movement of water

on, above and below the surface of the Earth.
 Major processes include:
• Evaporation
• Condensation
• Precipitation
Rock Cycle
 Basic concept in geology that describes the

dynamic transitions through geologic
time among the three
main rock types: sedimentary, metamorphic,
and igneous.
Sediments and Sedimentation
sedimentary rocks
Erosion
Tectonic
burial
Igneous
rocks
Metamorphic
rocks
Crystallization
Magma
Melting
Review Questions
 Refers to the storage of atmospheric carbon.
 This step of the nitrogen cycle converts nitrates back
into inert nitrogen gas.
 A type of rock created by extreme heat and
pressure.
 Among the elemental cycles, this does not any
atmospheric component.
 This phase in the hydrologic releases either hale,
rain or drizzle.
 Driving factor for the oxygen cycle.
 Step of the sulfur cycle that converts organic sulfur
into hydrogen sulfide or pyrite.
References:
 Miller,GT and Spoolman, SE. 2009. Essentials of Ecology,
5th Edition, Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 978-0-
495-55795-1
 Stiling, P. 2009. Ecology: principles and Theories, 13th
Edition, Prentice Hall Publishing Co. ISBN 0-13-915653-4
 McPherson, GR & DeStefano, S. 2003. Applied Ecology and
Natural Resource Management,. Cambridge University
Press. ISBN -13 978-0-511-07290-1 eBook (EBL)
 Caldeira, K.; Wickett, M. E. (2003). "Anthropogenic
carbon and ocean pH". Nature 425 (6956): 365–365
 Whitlock, Michael (2008). "The Effective Population
Size". Biology 434: Population Genetics. The University of
British Columbia.

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Nutrient Cycling

What Sustains Life on Earth?

 Nutrient Cycles: Global Recycling

• Life depends on the recycling of chemicals.

• Biogeochemical cycles involve

• The cycling of carbon between the

Higher-level Plants, algae,

Wastes; death Plant litter;

 The ocean absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere

 Transportation, industry and things we do at

 Sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs may

• The growth of algae and cyanobacteria in aquatic

 Describes the movement of oxygen within its

 Main driving factor:

• Organisms require phosphorus as an ingredient

 Sulfur is mainly found on Earth as sulfates in

 Describes the continuous movement of water

 Basic concept in geology that describes the

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