Biogeochemical/ Nutrient Cycles

S No 1 2 Topic Definition/ Term Need for Cycles Description Repeated circulation or transmigration of biogenic nutrients between biotic and abiotic components of biosphere; It is called so as involve biological and geological components for circulation and are chemicals Earth being a closed system for the matter (except rare entry from space), all biogenic nutrients have limited stock and availability on earth; therefore necessitate cycling i. e., continuous pick up and release from/ to various components of ecosystem/ Biosphere

Types Perfect With high Turnover rate; nutrients are replaced as fast as it is locked up in biotic components due to rapid (Odum, 1959) decomposition; said to be in equilibrium state at global level Nitrogen Cycle, Carbon Cycle Imperfect With low turnover rate; A part of biogenic nutrients passed out of cycling pool and gets locked up in reservoir pool Phosphorous Cycle Gaseous Cycling pool is largely in atmosphere, though lithosphere can be a secondary pool; these are relatively perfect as Or Atmospheric element remains in circulation more or less uniformly Carbon, Oxygen, Water, Nitrogen Sedimentary Elements are nongaseous and cycling pool occurs in lithosphere; are less perfect as elements go out of circulation in Or Edaphic to sediment for long periods Phosphorous, Calcium, etc Mixed Both gaseous and nongaseous states occur in the cycle Sulphur cycle with SO2 and H2S Global Occur on global basis due to interlinking of ecosystems Local On smaller scale at local level; involving one or more ecosystems Steps of Cycles Each element has its own characteristic cycle in nature, but have some common steps Step 1 - Nutrients picked up by producers from environment and incorporated in to their tissues Step 2 Producers are eaten by animals; and animals by animals, so that nutrients become part of animal tissues Step 3 Death of all organisms followed by break down of their body by decomposers release the nutrients back to environment General Description Of Cycles Litter/carcasses decompose to release locked up nutrients in organic compounds as inorganic material; therefore process called mineralization Producers pick up nutrients from atmosphere (C as CO2), hydrosphere (N as nitrates, ammonium, nitrites; S as sulphates: P as phosphates: C as carbonates, bicarbonates ) and lithosphere () and convert them into organic form for utilization by consumers Nutrients locked up in rocks are released back after remaining out of circulation for quite some time thorough their wearing off, pick up by plants, mining , ore processing, geological upheavals, erosions, volcanic eruptions. Human Disturbations - short circuiting by human activities such as industrial operations, deforestation, mining, ore processing, combustion, etc. make the circulation rapid