BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
Nitrogen CycleWater CycleCarbon Cycle
Energy Flows, Matter Cycles
The energy of the sun is used by plants to produce living molecules and systems.
Energy can be transformed and passed along, but is always being used up
Matter (atoms, molecules, materials) can never be used up - they always remain in a cycle
CYCLES
The materials that make up living things cycle between non-living (such as air, water, or rock) and living systems (plants, animals, food chains)
Most important cycles: Water Carbon Nitrogen
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Nitrogen (in the form of the N2 molecule) makes up 79% of the air
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning
•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
N2 is converted to nutrient nitrogen by bacteria and lightning
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia - NH3
• Nitrate - NO3-
• Nitrite - NO2=
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
The forms of nutrient nitrogen include ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Plants and other producers use nutrient nitrogen to build proteins
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Animals and other consumers get their protein through food chains
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Decomposers convert proteins from wastes or dead creatures back into nutrients
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Denitrifying
bacteria
Together, these make up the Food Chain part of the nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria in the soil convert nutrient nitrogen back into N2, which returns to the air
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria
This completes the air-soil-air loop of the nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria
The two loops of the nitrogen cycle include the air loop and the food chain loop.
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria
SOIL is the important link between the two loops of the nitrogen cycle.
Nitrogen CycleN2
(in the air)
Nutrient Nitrogen (in soil)• Ammonia• Nitrate• Nitrite
Producers
Consumers
Decomposers
•Lightning•Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
De-nitrifying bacteria
The Water Cycle
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
SURFACE WATER: Water on the surface of the ground or water bodies (rivers, lakes, swamps, marshes, the oceans).
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
EVAPORATION: Warmed by the energy of the sun, Surface Water goes into the air.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
TRANSPIRATION: Water goes into the air through the veins and leaves of plants.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
EVAPO-TRANSPIRATION: A combination of evaporation and transpiration.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
WATER VAPOR: The water in the air that we can not see. The water molecules are fully dissolved in the air.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
CONDENSATION: When the air cools, it can’t hold as much water in the form of
vapor. Some of the water leaves the vapor and sticks to small particles of dust,
forming tiny droplets.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
CLOUDS: lots of condensation, lots of tiny droplets. When it’s close to the
ground, we refer to it as fog.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPORCLOUDS: When rising, moist air is cool
enough that condensation happens, clouds form. The height at which clouds form depends on the humidity and the temperature.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
PRECIPITATION: When the cloud’s condensation droplets are so big that the air’s
energy (turbulence) can’t hold them up any more, they fall to
the ground.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
THERE ARE MANY FORMS OF PRECIPITATION:
Rain, snow, sleet, hail, dew, frost.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
INFILTRATION: Water flows in among the pores in the soil and rock, soaking
into the ground.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
GROUNDWATER: All the water below the surface
of the ground.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
AQUIFER: Where the groundwater has collected in underground pools, flowing slowly through soil or rocks.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
WATER TABLE: The top surface of an underground aquifer.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
SPRINGS: Any location where groundwater finds its way to the surface..
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
RUN-OFF: When the ground is saturated (can’t hold any more infiltration), any more water collects or flows over the surface.
Water Cycle
INFILTRATION
PRECIPITATION
SURFACE WATER
RUN-OFF
EVAPORATION
TRANSPIRATION
CONDENSATION
AQUIFER
WATER VAPOR
The Carbon Cycle
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
Atmospheric Carbon – in the form of CO2 – makes up a tiny 0.039% of our atmosphere, yet is crucial for life as we know it.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
Plants, algae, and cyanobacteria can do photosynthesis: they use the energy of the sun to bring together low energy CO2 and H2O, and produce high energy glucose (C6H12O6) and oxygen (O2)
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
The energy molecule, glucose, a simple sugar, can be considered the primary building block for all the other high energy compounds of life.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
Some of the oxygen produced by photosynthesis is used by the same organism that produced it, and the excess is released into the environment - the air or water.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
The C6H12O6 builds the plant’s body, which can become the base of a food chain. So, here, the C6H12O6 represents all of the carbon-based biomass of an ecosystem.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural GasIn rare circumstances, some of the carbon has avoided
being consumed or decomposed, and became trapped in the earth, where, over many millions of years, it has become the high energy minerals, coal, petroleum, and natural gas.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
The carbon eventually cycles back to the air or water by one of three processes:
respiration, decomposition, or combustion.
All of these release CO2, H2O, and stored energy back to the environment.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
Respiration is the chemical process inside cells that
breaks down glucose into CO2.
•While it requires oxygen to complete the process, the CO2
molecules come from the C6H12O6.•The released energy is captured in
the form of small, rechargeable energy molecules that power all the
energy needs of the organism.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
As in the nitrogen cycle, decomposition is the breaking down of large, high energy molecules of life, into low energy building blocks.•While some of the energy of the large molecules is used by decomposer organisms, all eventually releases to the environment.
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
CombustionDecomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
Combustion is burning: a rapid chemical reaction of the
carbon-based molecule with oxygen,
giving off CO2, H2O, and energy
The Carbon Cycle
Photosynthesis
Respiration
Combustion
Decomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas
For the last 150 years, we have been solving our society’s energy needs by mining and pumping these three fossil fuels from the
earth. This has added to the CO2 in the
atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
The Carbon Cycle
PhotosynthesisRespiration
CombustionDecomposition
CO2
H2O
C6H12O6
O2
Sun ENERGY
ENERGY
Coal/Oil/Natural Gas