Nutrient cycles are essential processes that govern the flow and recycling of vital elements within ecosystems, ensuring the availability of nutrients necessary for life. Among the most significant cycles are those of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. The carbon cycle encompasses the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, biosphere, oceans, and geosphere, vital for the formation of organic molecules fundamental to life. Nitrogen, a crucial component of proteins and nucleic acids, cycles through various forms, including atmospheric nitrogen, fixed by nitrogen-fixing bacteria and converted into forms usable by plants and animals. Sulfur cycles through the lithosphere, atmosphere, and hydrosphere, playing a critical role in amino acids, proteins, and vitamins. Phosphorus, integral to nucleic acids and ATP, undergoes cycling primarily through geological processes and biological uptake, regulating productivity in ecosystems. Understanding the intricacies of these nutrient cycles is pivotal in comprehending ecosystem dynamics and addressing environmental challenges.
- The ecosystem performs crucial functions, primarily centered around energy flow and nutrient circulation.
- While energy within the system is inevitably lost as heat and becomes unusable, nutrients, constituting food matter, exhibit a remarkable characteristic—they are never completely depleted.
- Nutrients have the ability to undergo recycling continuously and indefinitely.
- The mass of living organisms, including the human body, primarily consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, both as elements and compounds.
- These elements collectively make up 97% of the body’s mass and contribute to more than 95% of the mass of all living entities.
- Beyond these essential elements, an additional 15 to 25 elements, in various forms, are indispensable for the well-being and survival of both plants and animals.
- In the intricate web of ecosystems, these elements, also known as mineral nutrients, engage in perpetual circulation.
- They move from non-living components to living organisms and then back to the non-living elements of the ecosystem, forming a more or less circular pathway.
- This continuous movement, known as biogeochemical cycling (bio for living; geo for atmosphere), is essential for sustaining life.
- Two of the vital nutrient cycles in ecology are the carbon nutrient cycle and the nitrogen nutrient cycle.
- Alongside these, numerous other nutrient cycles, including those involving trace minerals, contribute significantly to the dynamic balance of ecosystems.
- The biogeochemical cycling ensures the availability and circulation of essential nutrients, fostering the health and survival of diverse organisms within the ecosystem.
TYPES OF NUTRIENT CYCLE
CARBON CYCLE
- Carbon, although a minor component of the atmosphere compared to oxygen and nitrogen, plays a fundamental role in sustaining life.
- Life as we know it would not be possible without carbon dioxide, a crucial element for the synthesis of carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants.
- Carbon serves as the foundational element for all organic substances, ranging from coal and oil to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the compound responsible for carrying genetic information.
- In the atmosphere, carbon exists predominantly in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2).
- The carbon cycle involves a continuous exchange of carbon between the atmosphere and living organisms.
- During photosynthesis, carbon moves from the atmosphere to green plants, and subsequently to animals as they consume these plants.
- Through processes like respiration and the decomposition of dead organic matter, carbon returns to the atmosphere. This cycle is typically short-term in nature.
- However, a portion of carbon also engages in a long-term cycle. It accumulates as undecomposed organic matter in the peaty layers of marshy soil or as insoluble carbonates in the bottom sediments of aquatic systems.
- This carbon may take an extended period to be released.
- In deep oceans, such carbon can remain buried for millions of years unless geological movements lift these rocks above sea level.
- Once exposed to erosion, these rocks release carbon dioxide, carbonates, and bicarbonates into streams and rivers.
- Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and natural gas, are organic compounds that underwent burial before decomposition could occur.
- Over time and through geological processes, these compounds transformed into fossil fuels. When burned, these fossil fuels release the stored carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, contributing to the carbon cycle.
NITROGEN CYCLE
- Nitrogen, apart from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, holds a significant presence as the most prevalent element in living organisms.
- Its role extends to being a constituent of essential biological compounds such as amino acids, proteins, hormones, chlorophylls, and various vitamins.
- Nitrogen’s importance in the intricate web of life is underscored by its role as a limiting nutrient, prompting competition between plants and microbes for the limited nitrogen available in the soil.
- This limitation affects both natural and agricultural ecosystems, influencing their growth and productivity.
- In its elemental form, nitrogen exists as diatomic molecules (N2), with two nitrogen atoms joined by a robust triple covalent bond (N ≡ N).
- The energy-intensive conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to nitrogen oxides (NO, NO2, N2O) is facilitated by natural phenomena like lightning and ultraviolet radiation, as well as anthropogenic sources like industrial combustions, forest fires, automobile exhausts, and power-generating stations.
The nitrogen cycle, classified as a gaseous cycle, involves several crucial steps:
Nitrogen Fixing – Nitrogen to Ammonia (N2 to NH3):
- Nitrogen, abundant in the atmosphere, is fixed into ammonia, nitrites, or nitrates for utilization by living organisms.
- Nitrogen fixation occurs through microbial processes (bacteria and blue-green algae), industrial processes, and atmospheric phenomena like thunder and lightning.
- Microbes capable of fixing atmospheric nitrogen include free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., Azotobacter, Clostridium), symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (e.g., Rhizobium), and certain cyanobacteria (e.g., Nostoc, Anabaena).
Nitrification – Ammonia to Nitrates:
- Ammonium ions are directly absorbed by some plants, while others absorb nitrates obtained by oxidizing ammonia and ammonium ions.
- Specialized bacteria (Nitrosomonas, Nitrococcus, Nitrobacter) facilitate the oxidation of ammonia and ammonium ions to nitrites and nitrates in a process known as nitrification.
- Nitrification is crucial in agricultural systems and plays a role in nitrogen removal from wastewater.
Ammonification – Urea, Uric Acid to Ammonia:
Nitrogenous waste products and organic remains are converted into inorganic ammonia and ammonium ions by bacteria in a process called ammonification.
Denitrification – Nitrate to Nitrogen:
Denitrifying bacteria (Pseudomonas, Thiobacillus) reduce nitrate to elemental nitrogen in the soil and oceans.
- This nitrogen is released into the atmosphere, completing the nitrogen cycle.
- The gaseous nitrogen cycle highlights the continuous exchange of nitrogen between the atmosphere and organisms.
- Notably, human-induced nitrogen fixation through industrial processes has surpassed natural cycles, leading to nitrogen pollution.
- This excessive nitrogen can disrupt ecological balances, contributing to issues like acid rain, eutrophication, and harmful algal blooms.
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE
- Phosphorus assumes a pivotal role in aquatic ecosystems and influences water quality significantly.
- Unlike carbon and nitrogen, which predominantly originate from the atmosphere, phosphorus exists in substantial quantities as a mineral in phosphate rocks, making its entry into the cycle largely through erosion and mining activities.
- This nutrient, primarily found in phosphate rocks, is a key contributor to the excessive proliferation of rooted and free-floating microscopic plants, known as phytoplankton, particularly in lakes.
- This phenomenon leads to eutrophication, adversely affecting the ecological balance of aquatic environments.
- The principal reservoir for phosphorus is the Earth’s crust. On land, phosphorus typically manifests in the form of phosphates.
- Through the processes of weathering and erosion, phosphates are transported into rivers, streams, and eventually find their way into oceans. In the ocean, phosphorus accumulates on continental shelves, forming insoluble deposits.
- Over geological timescales, crustal plates rise from the seafloor, exposing these phosphates on land. Subsequently, through the ongoing processes of weathering, these phosphates are released from rocks, initiating the geochemical phase of the phosphorus cycle anew.
- This cyclic interplay of geological and environmental processes ensures the continuous availability and circulation of phosphorus in ecosystems over extended periods.
SULPHUR CYCLE
- Sulphur is primarily stored in the soil and sediments, where it exists in organic deposits such as coal, oil, and peat, as well as in inorganic deposits like pyrite rock and sulphur rock.
- These forms encompass sulphates, sulphides, and organic sulphur.
- The release of sulphur occurs through processes like weathering of rocks, erosional runoff, and the decomposition of organic matter.
- In a dissolved state, sulphur is transported to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through salt solutions.
- The sulphur cycle is predominantly sedimentary, with most of its compounds existing in this form.
- However, two sulphur compounds, hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), introduce a gaseous component to the cycle.
- Sulphur enters the atmosphere from various sources, including volcanic eruptions, the combustion of fossil fuels (coal, diesel, etc.), ocean surface emissions, and gases released during decomposition.
- Once in the atmosphere, hydrogen sulphide can undergo oxidation to form sulphur dioxide.
- Atmospheric sulphur dioxide, when dissolved in rainwater, is carried back to the Earth as weak sulphuric acid, contributing to phenomena like acid rain.
- Regardless of its source, sulphur, in the form of sulphates, is absorbed by plants.
- Through a series of metabolic processes, sulphur is incorporated into sulphur-bearing amino acids, which, in turn, become integral components of proteins in autotrophic tissues.
- This sulphur-laden organic matter then progresses through the grazing food chain.
- Living organisms containing bound sulphur contribute to the return of sulphur to the soil and to aquatic ecosystems.
- This occurs through processes such as excretion and the decomposition of dead organic material, ultimately completing the sulphur cycle.
FAQs on Ecosystem Functions and Nutrient Cycles
Q1: What are the primary functions of the ecosystem?
A1: The ecosystem performs crucial functions, primarily centered around energy flow and nutrient circulation. While energy within the system is inevitably lost as heat and becomes unusable, nutrients, constituting food matter, exhibit a remarkable characteristic—they are never completely depleted. Nutrients have the ability to undergo recycling continuously and indefinitely.
Q2: What elements contribute to the mass of living organisms?
A2: The mass of living organisms, including the human body, primarily consists of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus, both as elements and compounds. These elements collectively make up 97% of the body’s mass and contribute to more than 95% of the mass of all living entities.
Q3: How do these elements circulate in ecosystems?
A3: In the intricate web of ecosystems, these elements, also known as mineral nutrients, engage in perpetual circulation. They move from non-living components to living organisms and then back to the non-living elements of the ecosystem, forming a more or less circular pathway. This continuous movement, known as biogeochemical cycling (bio for living; geo for atmosphere), is essential for sustaining life.
Q4: What are the significant nutrient cycles in ecology?
A4: Two of the vital nutrient cycles in ecology are the carbon nutrient cycle and the nitrogen nutrient cycle. Alongside these, numerous other nutrient cycles, including those involving trace minerals, contribute significantly to the dynamic balance of ecosystems. The biogeochemical cycling ensures the availability and circulation of essential nutrients, fostering the health and survival of diverse organisms within the ecosystem.
Q5: Can you explain the Carbon Cycle?
A5: Carbon, although a minor component of the atmosphere compared to oxygen and nitrogen, plays a fundamental role in sustaining life. Life as we know it would not be possible without carbon dioxide, a crucial element for the synthesis of carbohydrates through the process of photosynthesis carried out by plants. Carbon serves as the foundational element for all organic substances, ranging from coal and oil to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the compound responsible for carrying genetic information.
Q6: What is the significance of the Nitrogen Cycle?
A6: Nitrogen, apart from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, holds a significant presence as the most prevalent element in living organisms. Its role extends to being a constituent of essential biological compounds such as amino acids, proteins, hormones, chlorophylls, and various vitamins. The nitrogen cycle is crucial for the growth and productivity of ecosystems, but excessive human-induced nitrogen fixation has led to pollution, contributing to issues like acid rain, eutrophication, and harmful algal blooms.
Q7: How does the Phosphorus Cycle influence aquatic ecosystems?
A7: Phosphorus assumes a pivotal role in aquatic ecosystems and influences water quality significantly. Unlike carbon and nitrogen, which predominantly originate from the atmosphere, phosphorus exists in substantial quantities as a mineral in phosphate rocks, making its entry into the cycle largely through erosion and mining activities. Excessive phosphorus can lead to the proliferation of phytoplankton, causing eutrophication in lakes.
Q8: Describe the Sulphur Cycle and its components.
A8: Sulphur is primarily stored in the soil and sediments, existing in organic deposits such as coal, oil, and peat, as well as in inorganic deposits like pyrite rock and sulphur rock. The sulphur cycle involves both sedimentary and gaseous components, with hydrogen sulphide (H2S) and sulphur dioxide (SO2) contributing to the gaseous phase. Sulphur enters the atmosphere from various sources and is eventually absorbed by plants, completing the cycle through processes like excretion and decomposition.
In case you still have your doubts, contact us on 9811333901.
For UPSC Prelims Resources, Click here
For Daily Updates and Study Material:
Join our Telegram Channel – Edukemy for IAS
- 1. Learn through Videos – here
- 2. Be Exam Ready by Practicing Daily MCQs – here
- 3. Daily Newsletter – Get all your Current Affairs Covered – here
- 4. Mains Answer Writing Practice – here
