Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

NUTRIENT CYCLES
NUTRIENT CYCLES: ECOSYSTEM TO ECOSPHERE

CO2 cycle:
Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

 The path atoms take from the living (biotic) to the non-living
(abiotic) world and back again is called a biogeochemical cycle.

 The organic compartment consists of the living organisms and their

detritus.
 The available-nutrient compartment consists of nutrients held to surface
of soil particles or in solution.
 The third compartment consists of nutrients held in soils or rocks that are
unavailable to living organisms.
 The fourth compartment is the air which can be found in the atmosphere
or in the ground.
Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

The Atmosphere Is a Source of Inorganic Nutrients

 The atmosphere acts as a reservoir for carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen

(O2) and water (H2O).

 C, H & O basic elements of life; making up from about 98% of plant

biomass.
 CO and O enter biota from the atmosphere.
2 2
 Producers convert CO and H O into carbohydrates (CH O compounds)
2 2 2
and release O from water.
2
 Producers, consumers and decomposers convert CH O compounds,
2
using O , back into CO and H O.
2 2 2
Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.
Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

NITROGEN CYCLE IN ECOSYSTEMS

 Oxygen is produced from water during photosynthesis and combines with

the hydrogen to form water during respiration.
 Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

Sources of Nitrogen to the Soil

 Natural ecosystems receive their soil nitrogen through biological fixation
and atmospheric deposition.
Agricultural ecosystems receive additional nitrogen through fertilizer addition

Biological Sources of Soil Nitrogen

 Only a few species of bacteria and cyanobacteria are capable of nitrogen

fixation.
 Some are fee-living and others form mutualistic associations with plants.
 A few are lichens.

Atmospheric Sources of Soil Nitrogen

 Lightning was the major source of soil nitrogen until recent times when
the burning of fossil fuels became a major source of atmospheric
deposition.
Dr. Taghreed Khudhur Mohammed Dr. Mohammed Abed J. K.

Biological Nitrogen Fixation

 Nitrogen fixation is the largest source of soil nitrogen in natural
ecosystems.
 Free-living soil bacteria and cyanobacteria (blue-green “algae”) are
+
capable of converting N2 into ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4 ).
 Symbiotic bacteria (Rhizobium) in the nodules of legumes and certain
other plants can also fix nitrogen.

Nitrification
+
 Several species of bacteria can convert ammonium (NH ) into nitrites
4
-
(NO ).
2
- -
 Other bacterial species convert nitrites (NO ) to nitrates (NO ).
2 3

Ammonification
 Decomposers convert organic nitrogen (CHON) into ammonia (NH ) and
3
+
ammonium (NH ).
4
 A large number of species of bacteria and fungi are capable of converting
organic molecules into ammonia.

Denitrification
 A broad range of bacterial species can convert nitrites, nitrates and nitrous
oxides into molecular nitrogen (N ).
2
 They do this under anaerobic conditions as a means of obtaining oxygen
(O ).
2
 Thus, the recycling of N is complete.