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Week 9 Biosphere
Week 9 Biosphere
Week 9 Biosphere
CO2 in Ocean
The Nitrogen Cycle
• The roles of nitrogen:
– Important component of amino acids
– Major component of fertilizer (NO3-)
– Major component of atmosphere (N2)
The Nitrogen Cycle
• Nitrogen gas (N2) cannot be used by plants so it
must be converted into a usable form
• Soil bacteria convert nitrogen gas into ammonia
(NH3) in the process of nitrogen fixation
• More soil bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates
(NO3-) and nitrites (NO2-) a usable form
• Other soil bacteria then convert nitrates and
nitrites back into nitrogen gas, which is known
as denitrification
The Nitrogen Cycle
The Phosphorus Cycle
• Roles of Phosphorus
– Important component of DNA and RNA
• Does not enter atmosphere (gas)
• Steps
– Phosphorus is found in rocks and sediment which
gets moved by water
– Plants absorb phosphorus in the form of
phosphate from soil and water
– Heterotrophs consume plants
What is a Limiting Nutrient?
• A nutrient that is scarce of cycles very
slowly
• When an aquatic ecosystem receives a
large amount of a limiting nutrient it
immediately increases the amount of
algae, which is known as algal bloom
Algal Bloom
• What is the result of
algal bloom?