Biogeochemical Cycles

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What are biogeochemical cycles?

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Biogeochemical cycles are natural processes that recycle nutrients in various chemical forms from the environment to organisms and back to the environment.

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What is the nitrogen cycle?

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The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms, including nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and ammonification.

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What role do denitrifying bacteria play in the nitrogen cycle?

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Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrogen compounds in the soil back into free nitrogen gas, which is released into the atmosphere.

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What is nitrogen fixation?

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Nitrogen fixation is the process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonia (NH3) or related compounds in soil, making it available for uptake by plants.

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What is the role of decomposers in biogeochemical cycles?

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Decomposers break down dead organic matter, returning nutrients to the soil and making them available for plants.

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What is the carbon cycle?

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The carbon cycle is the series of processes by which carbon compounds are interconverted in the environment, including photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition.

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What is photosynthesis?

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Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of chlorophyll, converting carbon dioxide and water into glucose and oxygen.

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What is respiration in the context of the carbon cycle?

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Respiration is the process by which organisms convert glucose and oxygen into energy, releasing carbon dioxide and water as byproducts.

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What is the phosphorus cycle?

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The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, primarily through the weathering of rocks and the uptake by plants.

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What is free nitrogen?

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Free nitrogen refers to nitrogen gas (N2) that is not combined with other elements and is found in the atmosphere.