MATERIAL CYCLES

• BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES are pathways by which chemicals move through both biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem following a cycling flow
• BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES are classified based on the main reservoir of the chemicals
• the 5 biogeochemical cycles are CARBON, NITROGEN, PHOSPHORUS, SULFUR, WATER
• CARBON is the main element in organic compounds such as carbohydrates lipids proteins and nucleic acid
• CARBON is used by plants to build leaves and stems which are then digested by animals and used for cellular growth
• PHOTOSYNTHESIS is the conversion of carbon dioxide into carbohydrates
• RESPIRATION is the release of carbon dioxide into atmosphere
• DECOMPOSITION is the breakdown of carbohydrates into carbon and some other compound byproducts
• FOSSILIZATION is the formation of the remains of organism into fossil fuel
• NITROGEN is a crucial component of life as it is in all amino acids which are incorporated into protein and is present in the bases that make up nucleic acid such as DNA and RNA
• CHLOROPHYLL MOLECULES are essential for photosynthesis and further growth
• NITROGEN FIXATION is the fixation of nitrogen gas into usable form either through lightning or bacteria in plants
• ASSIMILATION is the absorption of ammonium ions from the soil via their root hairs to synthesize protein
• AMMONIFICATION is the release of ammonia from organic nitrogen such as the remains of organisms excreta
• NITRIFICATION is the conversion of ammonia into nitrites by nitrifying bacteria and subsequently into nitrates
• DENITRIFICATION is the reduction of nitrites nitrates into largelt inert nitrogen gas
• PHOSPHATES are components of nucleic acids and energy transfer molecules
• PHOSPHATES are major component of vertebrate bones and teeth
• GEOLOGICAL UPLIFTING is the release of phosphate rocks from the lithosphere
• WEATHERING OF ROCKS is the release of phosphate into the ground and or water
• ASSIMILATION is the incorporation of phosphate ions into plants such as nucleic acid
• DECOMPOSITION is the release of phosphate into the soil water from decaying organic matter
• SEDIMENTATION is the formation of new phosphate rocks
• SULFUR is a component of amino acid such as protein
• SULFUR CYCLE is important for the functioning of proteins and enzymes in plants and in animals that depend upon plants for sulfur
• VOLCANIC ERUPTION is the release of sulfur from the lithosphere
• WEATHERING OF ROCKS is the release of sulfur into the ground and or water
• ASSIMILATION is the incorporation of sulfur into plants such as vitamins and proteins
• DECOMPOSITION is the release of sulfur into the soil water from decaying organic matter
• SEDIMENTATION is the formation of new sulfur locks
• WATER makes up 70% to 95% of most organisms
• CONDENSATION is the transformation of water vapor to liquid water droplets in the air producing clouds and fog
• PRECIPITATION is the movement of water from the atmosphere to the lithosphere or hydrosphere
• EVAPORATION is the transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere
• INFILTRATION is the flow of water from the ground surface into the ground
• EUTROPHICATION is the gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorous nitrogen and other plant nutrients in an aging aquatic ecosystem
• ACID RAIN is any form of precipitation with acidic components such as sulfuric acid or nitric carbonic acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dry forms such as rain snow hog hail or even acidic dust