Biogeochemical Cycles PPT

Biogeochemical Cycles
Objectives:
 Identify and describe the flow of nutrients in
each biogeochemical cycle.
 Explain the impact that humans have on the
biogeochemical cycles.
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 Recycling
 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 called biogeochemical cycles, are
cycling of nutrients from the abiotic reservoirs
to biotic reservoirs.
 Nutrients are the elements and compounds that
organisms need to live, grow, and reproduce.
 Biogeochemical cycles move all nutrients
through air, water, soil, rock and living organisms
over millions of years.
MATTER CYCLING IN
ECOSYSTEMS
 Nutrient Cycles: Global Recycling
 Abiotic – nonliving cycles like rock cycle, water
cycle and other chemical cycles.
 Biotic – living organism involved cycles like
carbon and nitrogen cycle.
 All cycles enable a specific chemical element or
nutrient to be taken and reused through various
forms.
What Sustains Life on Earth?
Figure 2
Closer look at cycles
WATER CYCLE
Water’s Unique Properties
 There are strong forces of attraction between
molecules of water.
 Water exists as a liquid over a wide
temperature range.
 Liquid water changes temperature slowly.
 It takes a large amount of energy for water to
evaporate.
 Liquid water can dissolve a variety of
compounds including rock.
 Water expands when it freezes.
Rain clouds
Condensation
Transpiration Evaporation
Precipitation Transpiration
to land from plants
Precipitation Precipitation
Evaporation
Surface runoff from land Evaporation
Runoff from ocean Precipitation
(rapid)
to ocean
Infiltration and Surface

Percolation runoff
(rapid)
Groundwater movement (slow)
Ocean storage
Fig. 3-26, p. 72
Effects of Human Activities
on Water Cycle
 We alter the water cycle by:
 Withdrawing large amounts of freshwater from the
ground causing salt water to contaminate reservoir.
 Withdrawing large amounts from rivers and
streams changes flow of nutrients
 Clearing vegetation causes eroding soils that clogs
streams.
 Polluting surface and underground water.
 All of this contributes to climate change.
Carbon Cycles:
 One of the most complex cycles on Earth.
Carbon Cycles:
 Carbon just like all other nutrients cycles from
one reservoir to another through many years.
 Eg: Carbon enters plants as CO2 which is
incorporated into organic molecules by a
process called photosynthesis
 When organisms respire, a portion of
this carbon is returned to the
atmosphere as CO2.
Carbon Reservoir pools: Where
Carbon is stored
 Organic molecules – in living and dead
organisms.
 Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in atmosphere.
 Organic matter in soil.
 Fossil fuels and sedimentary rock like
limestone.
 CO2 in ocean/water bodies.
 Calcium carbonate in the shells of
marine organisms.
on Carbon Cycle
 We alter the carbon
cycle by adding
excess CO2 to the
atmosphere through:
 Burning fossil fuels.
 Clearing vegetation
faster than it is
replaced.
 Just Breathing
Figure 3-28
The Nitrogen Cycle
 Nitrogen is thesecond largest nutrient cycle

on the planet, second only to carbon.
on the Nitrogen Cycle
 We alter the nitrogen cycle by:
 Adding gases to atmosphere that contribute to
acid rain.
 Adding nitrous oxide to the atmosphere through
farming practices which can warm the
atmosphere and deplete ozone.
 Contaminating ground water from nitrate ions in
inorganic fertilizers.
 Releasing nitrogen into the troposphere through
deforestation.
on the Nitrogen Cycle
 Human activities such
as production and
use of fertilizers now
“fix” (put into
environment) more
nitrogen than all
natural sources
combined.
Figure 3-30
Phosphorous Cycle
 Phosphorous Cycle has been greatly affected

by human activity in the last 100 years.
mining Fertilizer
excretion Guano
agriculture
uptake by weathering uptake by
autotrophs autotrophs
Marine Dissolved leaching, runoff Dissolved Land
Food in Ocean in Soil Water, Food
Webs Water Lakes, Rivers Webs
death, death,
decomposition decomposition
sedimentation settling out weathering
uplifting over
geologic time
Marine Sediments Rocks
Fig. 3-31, p. 77
on the Phosphorous Cycle
 We remove large amounts of phosphate from
the earth to make fertilizer.
 We reduce phosphorous in tropical soils
by clearing forests.
 We add excess phosphates to aquatic
systems from runoff of animal wastes and
fertilizers.
Sulfur Water Acidic fog and
Sulfuric acid precipitation
trioxide
Ammonia Ammonium
Oxygen sulfate
Sulfur dioxide Hydrogen sulfide
Plants
Dimethyl Volcano
sulfide Industries
Animals
Ocean
Sulfate salts
Metallic Decaying matter Sulfur

sulfide
deposits
Hydrogen sulfide
Fig. 3-32, p. 78
on the Sulfur Cycle
 We add sulfur dioxide to the atmosphere by:
 Burning coal and oil
 Refining sulfur containing petroleum.
 Convert sulfur-containing metallic ores into free
metals such as copper, lead, and zinc releasing
sulfur dioxide into the environment.

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Biogeochemical Cycles

Infiltration and Surface

 Nitrogen is thesecond largest nutrient cycle

 Phosphorous Cycle has been greatly affected

Metallic Decaying matter Sulfur

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