Biogeochemical Cycle

What is a Biogeochemical Cycle?

“Biogeochemical cycles mainly refer to the movement of nutrients and other elements between
biotic and abiotic factors.”

“Bio” meaning biosphere, “geo” meaning the geological components and “chemical” meaning
the elements that move through a cycle.

Importance:
• Biogeochemical cycles are the routes through which the essential elements flow across the Earth’s
atmosphere, lithosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere.
• These cycles are the foundation of life on earth; they support and sustain the flows of carbon, nitrogen,
oxygen, and phosphorus, among other essential elements
• They regulate crucial processes, such as nutrient cycling, within and among ecosystems.
• Carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and water are a few key biogeochemical cycles.
• These cycles retain nutrients from being lost from ecosystems, which support plants, animals, and people.
• Human activities disturb these cycles, impacting health in the environment.
Types of Biogeochemical Cycles

Biogeochemical cycles can be broadly categorized into different types based on the
elements they cycle.

Water Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Carbon Cycle

Phosphorus Cycle
Stages of Water Cycle

Evaporation Sublimation

Water Cycle
Runoff Condensation

Infiltration Precipitation
Water Cycle
Implications of Water Cycle

• The water cycle or hydrological cycle is fundamental in maintaining a continuous supply of freshwater for drinking, agriculture,

industry, and various human activities.

• The Earth’s temperature would rise considerably if the evaporative cooling effect of the water cycle did not exist.

• Variations in the water cycle can lead to shifts in precipitation patterns, impacting weather events, droughts, and floods.

• The potential of the hydrological cycle to filter the air is well established. Water vapours must connect with dust particles during

the precipitation process. Raindrops collect water-soluble gases and contaminants, as well as dust when they descend from

the sky in polluted cities.

• It supports the generation of hydroelectric power by maintaining the flow of water in rivers and reservoirs.

• Changes in the hydrological cycle are a key component of climate change, leading to shifts in precipitation, sea level rise, and

extreme weather events.

Nitrogen Cycle

The Earth’s atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen, about 21% oxygen, and about 1% other gases.

This is an ideal balance because too much oxygen can actually be toxic to cells.

The series of processes by which nitrogen and its different forms are circulated and
interconverted in nature with the help of living organisms is called the nitrogen cycle.

The movement of nitrogen through the food chain,

transitioning from simple inorganic compounds like ammonia
to complex organic compounds.
Types of Nitrogen Fixation
1.Atmospheric fixation: A natural phenomenon where the energy of lightning breaks the nitrogen
into nitrogen oxides, which are then used by plants.

2.Industrial nitrogen fixation: It is a man-made alternative that aids in nitrogen fixation by the
use of ammonia. Ammonia is produced by the direct combination of nitrogen and hydrogen.
Later, it is converted into various fertilisers such as urea.

3.Biological nitrogen fixation: Nitrogen is not used directly from the air by plants and animals.
Bacteria like Rhizobium and blue-green algae transform the unusable form of nitrogen into other
compounds that are more readily usable. These nitrogen compounds get fixed in the soil by
these microbes.
Steps of Nitrogen Cycle
The entire process of the Nitrogen Cycle, one of the important
biogeochemical cycle takes place in five stages:
1) Nitrogen Fixation by Bacteria –
• It is the initial step of the nitrogen cycle. Here, Atmospheric
nitrogen (N2) which is primarily available in an inert form, is
converted into the usable form -ammonia (NH3).

• During the process of Nitrogen fixation, the inert form of nitrogen

gas is deposited into soils from the atmosphere and surface
waters, mainly through precipitation.

• The entire process of Nitrogen fixation is completed by symbiotic

bacteria, which are known as Diazotrophs. Azotobacter and
Rhizobium
Nitrification by Bacteria – (Converting ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate)

• In this process, the ammonia is converted into nitrate by the presence of bacteria in the soil.
• Nitrites are formed by the oxidation of ammonia with the help of Nitrosomonas bacteria species.
• Later, the produced nitrites are converted into nitrates by Nitrobacter. This conversion is very
important as ammonia gas is toxic for plants.

3) Assimilation by Plants
Absorbing nitrogen from the soil and incorporating them in the plant and animal bodies

4) Ammonification by Decomposers –
When plants or animals die, the nitrogen present in the organic matter is released back into the soil.
The decomposers, namely bacteria or fungi present in the soil, convert the organic matter back into
ammonium. This process of decomposition produces ammonia, which is further used for other
biological processes.

5) Denitrification by Denitrifiers – Reducing nitrates or nitrites and releasing gaseous nitrogen

Denitrification is the process in which the nitrogen compounds make their way back into the
atmosphere by converting nitrate (NO3-) into gaseous nitrogen (N). This process of the nitrogen
cycle is the final stage and occurs in the absence of oxygen
Importance of Nitrogen Cycle

1.Helps plants to synthesize chlorophyll from the nitrogen compounds.

2.Helps in converting inert nitrogen gas into a usable form for the plants through
the biochemical process.
3.In the process of ammonification, the bacteria help in decomposing the animal
and plant matter, which indirectly helps to clean up the environment.
4.Nitrates and nitrites are released into the soil, which helps in enriching the soil
with the necessary nutrients required for cultivation.
5.Nitrogen is an integral component of the cell and it forms many crucial
compounds and important biomolecules.
DEFINITION OF ECOLOGY

‘Ecology may be defined as the scientific study of the relationship of living

organisms with each other and with their environment.’

The term ecology was first coined in 1869 by the German biologist Ernst
Haeckel
Concept of Ecosystem

• An ‘Ecosystem’ is a region with a specific and recognizable landscape form such as forest, grassland,
desert, wetland or coastal area.
• Ecosystem is based on its geographical features such as hills, mountains, plains, rivers, lakes, coastal areas
or islands. It is also controlled by climatic conditions such as the amount of sunlight, the temperature and
the rainfall in the region.
• Ecosystem support a community of plants and animals that evolution has produced to live in these specific
conditions.
• Modern ecologist Smith (1977) has defined it as “a multidisciplinary science which deals with organism
and its place to live and focuses on ecosystem.”
• In simple words, it deals with the intricate web of relationships between living organisms and their non-
living surroundings.
• No living organism can exist by itself, or without an environment.
• Every organism uses energy, nutrients and water from its surrounding environment in various life activities.
Concept of Ecosystem
The number of ecosystems on earth is countless and each ecosystem is distinct
All ecosystems have the following common characteristics as given by Smith (1966):

1. The ecosystem is the major structural and functional unit of ecology.

2. The structure of an ecosystem is related to its species diversity; the more complex ecosystems have high
species diversity.

3. The function of ecosystem is related to energy flow and material cycling through and within the system.

4. The relative amount of energy needed to maintain an ecosystem depends on its structure. The more
complex the structure, the lesser the energy it needs to maintain itself.

5. Both the environment and energy fixation in any given ecosystem are limited and cannot be
exceeded without causing serious undesirable effects.

4. Alterations in the environment represent selective pressures upon the population to which it must adjust.
Organisms which are unable to adjust to the changed environment disappear ultimately.
Types of Ecosystem
Terrestrial Ecosystems: The distribution of terrestrial ecosystems is primarily related to precipitation and
temperature.
Terrestrial ecosystems can be divided, mainly on the basis of the prevailing vegetation type, into different
categories
Forest, Grassland, Desert and Tundra.

Forest Ecosystem: Forest ecosystems cover large parts of the terrestrial land surface and are major
components of the terrestrial carbon cycle. The forest is a complex and rich ecosystem as well as a valuable
renewable natural resource. trees constitute 80% of the world’s biomass.

Direct offering raged from forest biomass, timber, agriculture, and other forest products.

Indirect offerings of forests are protection of drainage basins against erosion, preservation of soil, regulation and
stabilization of the water cycle, maintaining global climate, regulation of the local climate through the increase of
evapotranspiration and, consequently, of humidity, and reduction of the temperature, regulation of nutrients’
circulation in the ecosystems, regulation of water and atmospheric air quality etc.
 Grassland Ecosystem

Grassland are areas where vegetation is dominated by grasses.

Grasslands cover around 40% of the earth’s surface and they exist in both temperature and tropical region

Examples: Prairies of North America , the Pampas of Argentina, Russia stepes

Two types of Grassland

1. Temperate Grassland
2. Tropical Grassland
Desert

A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, forms unique biomes and ecosystems.
The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation.

About one-third of the land surface of the Earth is arid or semi arid

Polar desert where little precipitation occurs, and which are sometimes called "cold deserts".
Tundra

Tundra is a biome characterized by minimal precipitation, low temperatures, and treeless conditions.
The tundra vegetation mainly comprises grasses, lichens, mosses, sedges, etc.
Tundras are usually found in particularly cold and windy areas, with harsher conditions for both animal and
plant life.
Tundras are generally classified into one of the three categories. These include Arctic tundra, Antarctic tundra
and Alpine tundra.