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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Where are nitrogen-fixing bacteria primarily found?

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Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are primarily found in root nodules of legumes.

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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 denitrification?

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Denitrification is the process by which nitrogen compounds in the soil are converted back into free nitrogen gas, returning nitrogen to the atmosphere.

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What role do decomposers play in biogeochemical cycles?

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

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What is the water cycle?

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The water cycle is the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth, involving processes such as evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and infiltration.

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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 the phosphorus cycle?

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

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What is nitrification?

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Nitrification is the process by which ammonia is converted into nitrites and then into nitrates by bacteria in the soil.