CARBON CYCLE

Carbon is another nutrient that all organisms need. In fact, it is the basic building block of all living things. Like water, carbon moves through an ecosystem in a cycle. Here is how the cycle works. Carbon is present in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Water also contains carbon dioxide as it can dissolve it. Producers (plants and algae) use it to perform photosynthesis and make food. Now the carbon is in the producers. Herbivores eat the plants and carnivores eat the herbivores. Now the carbon is in animals. Both plants and animals respire. Their respiration returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. Decomposers break down dead plants and animals as well as animal waste. This too returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere or soil. Some organic matter does not decompose easily. Instead it builds up in the earths crust. Oil and coal were formed from the build-up of plant matter millions of years ago. At one time, the carbon cycle was almost a perfect cycle. That is, carbon was returned to the atmosphere as quickly as it was removed. Lately, however, the increased burning of fossil fuels has added carbon to the atmosphere faster than producers can remove it. Also, deforestation reduces the amount of carbon dioxide being used in photosynthesis. Further, the use of land for agriculture releases carbon dioxide into the environment. Plants in water need carbon dioxide to perform photosynthesis and release oxygen. Fish use the oxygen to breathe and the plants for food. Thus, fish depend on the carbon dioxide cycle.

Photosynthesis CO2 + H2O CH2O + O2 Cellular Respiration

CH2O + O2 CO2 + H2O

NITROGEN CYCLE
Nitrogen is another important nutrient that all organisms need. All living things need nitrogen to make proteins. Lets see how this nutrient is recycled in ecosystems. Almost 78% of the atmosphere is nitrogen. However, neither plants nor animals can use this form of nitrogen directly. Usually, the nitrogen must be in the form of chemicals called nitrate. Then the plant roots can absorb it. Lightning forms some nitrate by causing oxygen and nitrogen in the atmosphere to join. Rhizobium bacteria can do the same thing. These bacteria lives on the roots of plants called legumes such as beans, peas and alfalfa). Many bacteria and blue-green algae also form nitrates. The changing of nitrogen to nitrates is called nitrogen fixation. Plants use the nitrates that they absorb to make plant proteins. Animals get the nitrogen that they need to make proteins by eating plants or other animals. When plants and animals die, bacteria change their nitrogen content to ammonia. The nitrogen in the urine and fecal matter of animals is also changed to ammonia by bacteria. The pungent odour of outhouses, chicken pens, hog yards, cat litter boxes and wet baby dipers is ample evidence of this fact. Ammonia, in turn, is converted to nitrites and then to nitrates by bacteria. This process is called nitrification and completes the main part of the cycle. Many plants are able to use ammonia directly. Therefore all of it does not have to be converted to nitrate before plants absorb it. When people use synthetic fertilizers they add nitrite or nitrate into the soil. This skips most of the nitrogen cycle and thus the bacteria and microorganisms lose their food source. Plants and algae in the water need nitrogen to grow. Some fish species depend on these plants for food.

OXYGEN CYCLE
Oxygen is another nutrient which is important to all living things. Note that the carbon and oxygen cycles are independent but very closely related. Oxygen is present in our atmosphere in the form of ozone, water vapour, pure oxygen and carbon dioxide. Plants and algae perform photosynthesis which removes carbon dioxide and adds oxygen to the atmosphere. Animals perform cellular respiration which removes oxygen from the atmosphere and adds carbon dioxide. When plants and animals die, decomposers uses oxygen to break down organic material and release carbon dioxide. Also, water dissolves oxygen and the aquatic life use this oxygen for photosynthesis and cellular respiration. Fish need oxygen in the water to perform cellular respiration.

Photosynthesis CO2 + H2O CH2O + O2 Cellular Respiration

CH2O + O2 CO2 + H2O

NITROGEN CYCLE
Nitrogen is an essential element required by organisms to synthesize proteins and nucleic acids. Though atmosphere contains about 78% of Nitrogen, it cannot be utilized by living organism unless it is converted into ammonia, amino acids or nitrates. These compounds which are available in the soil are cycled and recycled through the ecosystem. The process, by which these forms get interconverted to maintain a constant amount of nitrogen in atmosphere, by physical and biological processes is called Nitrogen Cycle. The Nitrogen Cycle involves 1. Nitrogen fixation, 2. Nitrogen assimilation, 3. Ammonification, 4. Nitrification and 5. Denitrification Nitrogen fixation During nitrogen fixation, nitrogen is oxidized to oxides by lightning and these oxides get dissolved in rain water and get precipitated. During biological nitrogen fixation, the nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Azotobacter, Rhizobium and blue green algae like Nostoc convert gaseous nitrogen to ammonia and nitrates. Nitrogen assimilation The nitrates absorbed by plants is utilized for making organic matter such as proteins, nucleic acids etc. Plant proteins and other nitrogenous compounds consumed by animals are converted into animal proteins. Ammonification Animal proteins are excreted out in the form of urea, uric acid or ammonia. When the plants and animals die, their proteins are broken down to release ammonia by the action of bacteria and fungi. This process of ammonia formation is called ammonification. Nitrification During this process, the ammonia is converted into nitrites and nitrates by soil bacteria such as Nitrobacter and Nitrosomonas which are then absorbed by plants through their roots. Denitrification Free living soil bacteria such as Pseudomonas reduce nitrate ions of soil into gaseous nitrogen which returns to the atmosphere.

CARBON CYCLE
Carbon is the most significant element in the environment. All organic compounds contain carbon. The three main sources of carbon are i) CO2 of the air and CO2 dissolved in oceans, ii) Carbonate rock in the earths crust and, iii) Fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. Being a main element involved in the fixation of energy by photosynthesis, it is closely linked to energy flow. The basic movement of carbon is from atmospheric reservoir to producers, to consumers and then to decomposers. The atmospheric carbon dioxide enters into the living world, i.e. green plants, through the process of photosynthesis to form carbohydrates (food). The plant food is taken by herbivores and then passes through small and large carnivores. The respiratory activities at each trophic level return carbon dioxide quickly to the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is also returned to the atmosphere through decomposition of dead organic materials, burning of fossil fuels and volcanic activities.

OXYGEN CYCLE
All living organisms require oxygen for respiration. Oxygen is one of the constituents of water and forms about 20% of the air in the atmosphere. Oxygen enters the living world through respiration. It oxidizes the food materials and produces energy and carbon dioxide. Oxygen is also used up in the burning of the materials and carbon dioxide is produced. The carbon dioxide is utilized by the plants to produce food materials during the process of photosynthesis and oxygen is released. Oxygen combines with nitrogen to produce oxides of nitrogen, which are taken up by the plants to produce amino acids and proteins. These compounds, after breaking down, release oxygen in the atmosphere and maintain balance in the environment.