Chapter 5

Biogeochemical Cycles
Lake Washington Case Study
What is a biogeochemical cycle?
 Path a chem takes through air, water, soil,
orgs. and back to air or soil
 Time taken to cycle varies.
 Gaseous elements faster
 Non-gaseous slower
 Geologic Cycles
 Tectonic Cycle
 Top layer (lithosphere) is constantly created
and destroyed. Large segments (tectonic
plates) move past one another.

Transform fault =
Convergent =
Divergent =
 Transform fault = sliding
 Convergent = colliding
 Divergent = spreading
Hydrologic Cycle: Ch 19 in detail
 Major Global Cycles
 Carbon
 Nitrogen
 Phosphorus
 Where do we find C?
 Does it have an atm stage?
 How might carbon cycle be thrown out of
balance?

 What happens if out of balance?

 The Carbon Cycle
 Gaseous (CO2 , CH4). Most important organic compound.
 Nitrogen Cycle
 Where do we find N?
 Does it have an atm stage?
 How might the nitrogen cycle be thrown out of
balance?
 What happens if out of balance?
 110 m. tons annually
 Nitrogen Cycle
 N2 = most of the atm
(about 80%)

10 m. tons annually
 Nitrogen cycle key steps!!:
 First in atmosphere as N2
 Then in the soil:
 1. Nitrogen fixation: fixes N2 to a form
plants can use
 2. Other bacteria convert ammonia into

nitrates ( NO3 )
 Into living things:
 3. Plants absorb nitrates and ammonia by
assimilation
 Back into soil again:

 Back into the atm again

 80% N2 in atm

Nitrogen fixation

Denitrification Assimilation
Ammonification

Nitrification step2

Nitrification step1
Symbiosis - Crop Rotation
 Phosphorus
 Phosphorus has no atm stage.
 How does this affect its’ use by l.t.s?
 Phosphorus Cycle
 No gaseous phase

 Stored in rocks and organic material in soil

 Thanks to microbial action, changed to phosphates
(PO4 3- or HPO4 2- )which plants can access. (slowly)