2.

1 | Biogeochemical Cycle  

Carbon in the Atmosphere Carbon is taken from

Biogeochemical cycle the atmosphere in two ways:
The major part of the biosphere are connected by
 -when the sun is shining, plants perform
the flow of chemical elements and compounds.
photosynthesis to convert carbon dioxide into
In many of these cycles, biota plays an important carbohydrates, releasing oxygen in the
role. Matter from earth’s interior is released by process.
volcanoes. The atmosphere exchanges some  -At surface of oceans near poles, where
compounds and elements rapidly with the biota water becomes cooler and able to dissolve
and the oceans. Exchange of material between more carbon dioxide.
rocks, soils and oceans are slower by comparison.
Carbon can be released back to the atmosphere
Biogeochemical cycle - It is the movement (or in many different ways:  -
cycling) of matter through a system. As earth is
essentially a closed system with respect to matter,  -through the respiration performed by
all matters on earth cycles. plants and animals - 
 -through decay of animals and plant
Matter can be elements (carbon, nitrogen,
matter
oxygen), or molecules (water); so the movement
 -through combustion of organic materials
of matter, for example carbon between the parts
 -through reactions of limestone
of the system is a biogeochemical cycle.
 -at the surface of the ocean where water
Carbon Cycle becomes warmer, dissolved carbon dioxide is
released back to atmosphere
Carbon cycle is one of the most important to
 -volcanic eruption release gas in
humans and important to our existence due to
atmosphere
the following: -one of the primary elements
forming human tissues -necessary to plants, the Carbon in the Biosphere
basis of human food And because it is important
to the climate system, which sets the background Autotrophs are organisms that produce their own
of our environment; carbon dioxide and methane organic compounds using carbon dioxide from air
are greenhouse gasses, which help global or water in which they live.
temperature
They require external source of energy and they
use solar radiation to produce this.

Their production is called photosynthesis

 The burning of biomass ( forest firewood

use for heating) can transfer substantial
amount of carbon to the atmosphere
 Carbon also leave the biosphere when
dead organic matter becomes incorporated in
the geosphere
Nitrogen Cycle assimilated in the form of ammonium ions from
the nodules;
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle
that describes the transformation of nitrogen and 1. All plants can absorb nitrate from the soil
nitrogen containing compounds in nature. via root hairs;
The basic earth’s atmosphere is about 78% 2. These are then reduced to nitrate ions for
nitrogen, making it the largest pool of nitrogen. incorporation into amino acids and protein
which forms part of the plants or animals that
Nitrogen is essential for many biological they eat.
processes, it is in all amino acids, incorporated in
proteins that make up nucleic acid such as DNA C. Ammonification – nitrates are the form of
(deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic nitrogen most commonly assimilated by plant
acid). species, which in turn are consumed by
heterotrophs for use in compounds such as amino
and nucleic acid.

 The remains of the heterotrophs will then

be decomposed into nutrient rich organic
material and bacteria or in some cases fungi
will convert the nitrates within the remain back
to ammonia.

D. Nitrification – the conversion of ammonia to

nitrates is performed primarily by soil living
bacteria.

The primary stage of nitrification, the oxidation of

ammonia is performed by bacteria such as
NITROSOMONAS species which converts
Processes of the Nitrogen Cycle ammonia to nitrites.
A. Nitrogen Fixation –three ways to convert Other bacteria such as the NITROBACTER are
atmospheric nitrogen gas into more reactive form: responsible for the oxidation of the nitrites into
nitrates.
1. 1. Biological fixation – symbiotic bacteria
most often associated with leguminous plants E. Anaerobic Ammonium Oxidation – in this
and some free living bacteria are able to fix biological process, nitrite and ammonium are
nitrogen and assimilate it as organic nitrogen converted directly into di nitrogen gas. This
2. 2. Industrial fixation- in the HABER BOSCH process makes up a major proportion of di
process, nitrogen is converted together with nitrogen conversion in the oceans.
hydrogen gas into ammonia fertilizer
F. Denitrification –is the reduction of nitrate back
3. 3. Combustion of fossil fuels – automobile
into the largely inert nitrogen gas completing the
engines and thermal power plants
nitrogen cycle. The process is performed by the
B. Assimilation- in plants which have a mutualistic bacteria species such as PSEUDOMONAS.
relationship with RHIZOBIUM. Some nitrogen is HYDROLOGIC CYCLE
It is the movement of water in the earth’s precipitation events in small depression and other
atmosphere, on the surface and below the storage areas.
surface –a process powered by sun’s energy.
Transpiration – then loss of water from plants
In this cycle, the sun’s radiant energy supplies the through leaves and other parts. This loss can be a
power to evaporate water from lakes, rivers and significant amount of water during very dry
plants. periods.

Since the sun also supplies the energy to move Precipitation – falling to earth of condensed water
the winds, it is responsible for the transport of vapor in the form of rain, snow, sleet or hail.
moisture in the atmosphere.
Run-off – water that flows overland to lakes or
Much water vapor is returned to the ocean by streams during and shortly after precipitation
precipitation before reaching land. events

 Infiltration – the movement of water from the

surface of the land and through the unsaturated
zone and into the ground water .  This occurs
during and immediately after precipitation
events.  It can also occur at the bottom of lakes
and rivers.

2.3 Discussion in
Biogeochemical Cycle
Process of Biogeochemical Cycles
Sun – supplies power to evaporate water from
lakes, oceans, rivers What is a Biogeochemical Cycle?

Wind – transport moisture to atmosphere “Biogeochemical cycles mainly refer to the

movement of nutrients and other elements
Water vapor –is returned to ocean and land by
between biotic and abiotic factors.”
precipitation

Winds moves part of the water vapor to land

where it is deposited as precipitation.

Of the water that falls overland, a portion

infiltrates to the ground.

Part intercepted by vegetation and directly

returned to the atmosphere through transpiration.

Part of the precipitation flows overland to lakes

and rivers. When fresh water is returned to sea, The term biogeochemical is derived
cycle is completed from “bio” meaning biosphere, “geo” meaning
the geological components and “chemical”
Evaporation – conversion of liquid water to water
vapor. It occurs in the surface of water bodies meaning the elements that move through a cycle.
such as lakes and rivers and immediately after
The matter on Earth is conserved and present in The water in its various forms interacts with the
the form of atoms. Since matter can neither be surroundings and changes the temperature and
created nor destroyed, it is recycled in the earth’s pressure of the atmosphere.
system in various forms.
There’s another process called Evapotranspiration
The earth obtains energy from the sun which is (i.e. vapour produced from leaves) which aids this
radiated back as heat, rest all other elements are process. It is the evaporation of water from the
present in a closed system. The major elements leaves, soil and water bodies to the atmosphere
include: which again condenses and falls as rain.
Carbon Cycle
 Carbon
 Hydrogen It is one of the biogeochemical cycles in which
 Nitrogen
carbon is exchanged among the biosphere,
 Oxygen
 Phosphorus geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere and
 Sulphur pedosphere.
These elements are recycled through the biotic All green plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight
and abiotic components of the ecosystem (Links for photosynthesis (Links to an external
to an external site.). The atmosphere, hydrosphere site.). Carbon is thus stored in the plant. The
and lithosphere are the abiotic components of the green plants, when dead, are buried into the soil
ecosystem. that gets converted into fossil fuels made from
Types of Biogeochemical Cycles carbon. These fossil fuels when burnt, release
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
Biogeochemical cycles are basically divided into
Also, the animals that consume plants, obtain the
two types:
carbon stored in the plants. This carbon is
 Gaseous cycles  – Includes Carbon, returned to the atmosphere when these animals
Oxygen, Nitrogen, and the Water cycle. decompose after death.
 Sedimentary cycles – Includes Sulphur,
Phosphorus, Rock cycle, etc. The carbon also returns to the environment
through cellular respiration by animals.
Let us have a look at each of these
biogeochemical cycles in brief: Huge carbon content in the form of carbon
Water Cycle dioxide is produced that is stored in the form of
fossil fuel (coal & oil) and can be extracted for
The water from the different water bodies various commercial and non-commercial
evaporates, cools, condenses and falls back to the purposes. When factories use these fuels, the
earth as rain. carbon is again released back in the atmosphere
This biogeochemical cycle is responsible for during combustion.
maintaining weather conditions.
Nitrogen Cycle Phosphorus is extracted by the weathering of
rocks. Due to rains and erosion phosphorus is
It is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is
washed away in the soil and water bodies.
converted into several forms and it gets circulated
through the atmosphere and various ecosystems Plants and animals obtain this phosphorus
such as terrestrial and marine ecosystems. through the soil and water and grow.
Microorganisms also require phosphorus for their
Nitrogen is an essential element of life. The
growth. 
nitrogen in the atmosphere is fixed by the
nitrogen-fixing bacteria present in the root When the plants and animals die they
nodules of the leguminous plants and made decompose, and the stored phosphorus is
available to the soil and plants. returned to the soil and water bodies which is
again consumed by plants and animals and the
The bacteria present in the roots of the plants
cycle continues.
convert this nitrogen gas into a usable compound
Sulphur Cycle
called ammonia.

Ammonia is also supplied to plants in the form of This biogeochemical cycle moves through the
fertilizers. This ammonia is converted into nitrites rocks, water bodies and living systems.
and nitrates. The denitrifying bacteria reduce the Sulphur is released into the atmosphere by the
nitrates into nitrogen and return it into the weathering of rocks and is converted into
atmosphere. sulphates.
Oxygen Cycle
These sulphates are taken up by the
This biogeochemical cycle moves through the microorganisms and plants and converted into
atmosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere. organic forms.
Oxygen is an abundant element on our Earth. It is
Organic sulphur is consumed by animals through
found in the elemental form in the atmosphere to
food. When the animals die and decompose,
the extent of 21%.
sulphur is returned to the soil which is again
Oxygen is released by the plants during obtained by the plants and microbes, and the
photosynthesis. Humans and other animals inhale cycle continues.
the oxygen exhale carbon dioxide which is again
taken up by the plants. 

They utilise this carbon dioxide in photosynthesis

to produce oxygen, and the cycle continues.
Phosphorous Cycle

In this biogeochemical cycle, phosphorus moves

through the hydrosphere, lithosphere and
biosphere.