Nutrient cycle
Introduction
The Nutrient cycle is a fundamental concept in ecology, describing the movement and exchange of organic and inorganic matter back into the production of living matter. The process is regulated by food web pathways that decompose matter into mineral nutrients. Nutrient cycles occur within ecosystems. Ecosystems are interconnected systems where matter and energy flows and is exchanged between living and non-living forms.
Types of Nutrient Cycles
There are two types of nutrient cycles:
- Gaseous cycle: In this type of cycle, the main reservoir of nutrients is the atmosphere and the ocean. Examples include the carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles.
- Sedimentary cycle: In this type of cycle, the main reservoir is the Earth's crust. Examples include the phosphorus, sulfur, and rock cycles.
Gaseous Nutrient Cycles
Carbon Cycle
The Carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of the Earth. It is one of the most important cycles of the Earth and allows for carbon to be recycled and reused throughout the biosphere and all of its organisms.
Nitrogen Cycle
The Nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. This transformation can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.
Oxygen Cycle
The Oxygen cycle is the process by which oxygen is moved between the atmosphere, the biosphere, and the geosphere. The main driving factor of the oxygen cycle is photosynthesis, which is responsible for the majority of the oxygen in the Earth's atmosphere.
Sedimentary Nutrient Cycles
Phosphorus Cycle
The Phosphorus cycle is the process by which phosphorus moves through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Phosphorus is essential for plant and animal growth, as well as the health of microbes inhabiting the soil, but is gradually depleted from the soil over time.
Sulfur Cycle
The Sulfur cycle is the collection of processes by which sulfur moves to and from minerals (including the waterways) and living systems. Such biogeochemical cycles are important in geology because they affect many minerals. Biochemical cycles are also important for life because sulfur is an essential element, being a constituent of many proteins and cofactors, and sulfur compounds can be used as oxidants or reductants in microbial respiration.
Rock Cycle
The Rock cycle is a basic concept in geology that describes the time-consuming transitions through geologic time among the three main rock types: sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous. As the diagram to the right illustrates, each of the types of rocks is altered or destroyed when it is forced out of its equilibrium conditions.
Importance of Nutrient Cycles
Nutrient cycles are important for the survival of ecosystems. They ensure that nutrients are circulated and recycled, allowing for life to continue. Without these cycles, nutrients would become depleted in the soil, and life as we know it would not be able to continue.