Nutrient Cycle Review

• what is the cycle of matter?

  movement and transportation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms, atmosphere and the earths crust
• what is the biogeochemical cycle?

  movement of nutrients and other elements between biotic and abiotic factors
• The biogeochemical cycle must be balanced to ensure health and sustainability of an ecosystem
• what is the carbon cycle?

  process where carbon dioxide travels from the atmosphere into living organisms and the earth, then back into the atmosphere
• how is carbon stored short term?

  vegetation on land , plants in the ocean, land-based and marine animals, decaying organic matter in soil
• how is carbon stored long term?

  intermediate and deep ocean waters as dissolved carbon dioxide, cold ocean waters, on land, coal, oil, gas deposits
• what is the largest long term storage of carbon?

  marine sediments and sedimentary rock
• what processes move carbon through ecosystems

  photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, ocean processes, volcanic eruptions, large-scale forest fires
• nitrogen is an important component of DNA and protein, essential for the life processes that take place in cells
• proteins are essential for animals muscle functions
• nitrogen is important for plants growth
• how are large amounts of nitrogen stored?

  air/atmosphere where nitrogen is nitrogen gas, oceans, organic matter in soil
• where is nitrogen stored in small amounts?

  living organisms, lakes and marshes
• nitrogen fixation process where nitrogen converted into ammonia
• where does nitrogen fixation occur?

  in the atmosphere, soil, bodies of water
• atmospheric nitrogen fixation when nitrogen gas in converted into nitrate and other notrogen containing compounds by lightning
• how do nitrogen containing compounds enter ecosystems?

  through rain
• soil nitrogen fixation when nitrogen gas is converted into ammonium by bacteria during the decomposition process
• nitrification when ammonium is converted into nitrate
• eutrophication process when a body of water becomes overly enriched with nutrients, which leads to lots of plant growth.
• denitrifying nitrate to nitrogen