What is a Biogeochemical Cycle?

A biogeochemical cycle or an inorganic-organic cycle is a circulating or repeatable pathway by

which either a chemical element or a molecule moves through both biotic (biosphere) and abiotic
(lithosphere, atmosphere and hydrosphere) components of an ecosystem.
The water cycle describes how water evaporates from the surface of the earth, rises into the atmosphere, cools and
condenses into rain or snow in clouds, and falls again to the surface as precipitation.

Of the many processes involved in the water cycle, the most important are evaporation,
transpiration, condensation, precipitation, and runoff. Although the total amount of water within
the cycle remains essentially constant, its distribution among the various processes is continually
changing.
 Carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and the
atmosphere of the Earth through a biogeochemical cycle called Carbon Cycle.

How do you differentiate between organic and inorganic matter?

Well, this is decided by the presence of carbon in the matter. Essentially all organic matter
contains carbon. Carbon cycle is the cyclic pattern that carbon follows on earth. By following
the carbon cycle we can also study the flow of energy as the energy needed for life is stored
between carbon molecules in organic matter as proteins and fats.
Nitrogen is available in abundance in our atmosphere (78%), however, this nitrogen is useless to
animals and plants until it is converted to ammonia and other nitrogen compounds. This conversion
process is called Nitrogen Fixation. And through a process is called denitrification, once these
plants and animals are dead, this ammonia is broken down by bacteria and fungi and returned to
the atmosphere as Nitrogen.
Phosphorous moves in a cycle in our atmosphere via rocks, sediment, soil, water and living
organisms. Over a long period of time weathering of rocks leads to phosphate ions and minerals being
released into the soil and water. This is absorbed by living organisms who need phosphorous to build
nucleic acids such as DNA. Then when these living organisms die, phosphates are released back into
the soil.

There are still various other biogeochemical cycles such as water, rock, sulphur etc. The importance
of these cycles is that they essentially support all life on the planet because without these cycles living
organism would not get all the elements they need to survive.