Lecture 3 - Biogeochemical Cycles

Nutrient - substance an organism needs to live, grow or reproduce

Macronutrients - nutrients needed in large amounts - make up > 95% of all organisms mass - e.g., C, N, P, K, H, O

Micronutrients - the 30+ elements required by organisms in small amounts - e.g., iron, zinc
Biogeochemical Cycles - literally life-earth-chemical cycle - also called nutrient cycles

Biogeochemical Cycles contd

- natural processes that recycle nutrients from the non-living environment to living organisms, then back to the nonliving environment - e.g., carbon, oxygen, nitrogen & hydrologic cycles

Carbon Cycle
Carbon - basic building block of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and nucleic acids (such as DNA)
- the main source of C for organisms is CO2 from the atmosphere or dissolved in surface water

Carbon Cycle contd

the 3 largest reservoirs of C are : 1. Earths rocks 2. fossil fuels 3. ocean beds the C cycle is based on the carbon dioxide gas 0.036% of the atmosphere is carbon dioxide gas

The Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle contd

- if the C cycle removes too much CO2 then the Earth will cool - if the C cycle generates too much CO2 then the Earth will get hotter

- slight changes in the C cycle can affect climate & thus the types of life that can exist on Earth

Carbon Cycle contd

2 ways that humans have disturbed the C cycle: 1. Forest & brush clearing 2. Burning fossil fuels and wood

Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen - organisms need N to make proteins, DNA and other nitrogen compounds
- nitrogen gas, N2,makes up 78% of atmospheric volume - N2 cannot be used directly by plants or animals

Nitrogen Cycle contd

Ways Humans Intervene in N Cycle:
1. Adding excess nitrate and ammonia to aquatic ecosystems in agricultural runoff and discharge of municipal sewage 2. Emitting large quantities of nitric oxide when fuel is burned

Phosphorus Cycle
- is the movement of P through water, earths crust and living organisms
- P, mainly in the form of phosphates, is an essential plant & animal nutrient - P is found is essential to bones, teeth & plant and animal cell membranes

Phosphorus Cycle

contd

2 chief ways humans intervene with the P cycle: 1. Mining large quantities of phosphate rock to produce commercial inorganic fertilisers and detergents 2. Adding excess phosphate to aquatic ecosystems in runoff or animal wastes from cropland, sewage discharge & livestock feedlots

Hydrologic Cycle
- describes the movement of H2O between oceans and land masses
- collects, purifies and distributes Earths fixed supply of water - organisms are made up primarily of H2O

The Water Cycle

Hydrologic Cycle contd

2 main ways humans interfere in H2O cycle: 1. Withdrawing large quantities of fresh water

2. Clearing vegetation from land for agriculture, mining, roads, construction, etc.

Weather & Climate

Weather - short-term changes in temperature, pressure, precipitation and other conditions in the atmosphere at a given place & time

Weather & Climate contd

Climate - average weather of an area

- taken over a period of at least 30 years - temperature & precipitation are the 2 most important factors that determine climate

Weather & Climate contd

Precipitation - water in the form of rain, sleet, hail & snow that falls from the atmosphere onto the land and bodies of water