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Nutrients and Biogeochemical Cycles: An Environmental Perspective

Explore the importance of nutrients in living organisms and the cyclic movement of elements in biogeochemical cycles. Learn about major and trace elements, nutrient availability, and trophic level concentration.

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Nutrients and Biogeochemical Cycles: An Environmental Perspective

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  1. BIOLOGY 157: LIFE SCIENCE: AN ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACH (Nutrients & Biogeochemical Cycles)

  2. NUTRIENTS AND NUTRIENT CYCLING • NUTRIENTS:are elements (C, H, N, etc.) and simple inorganic compounds of these elements (H2O, CO2, etc.) that are essential for life. • FOODS:are organic compounds (contain carbon, hydrogen, usually oxygen and sometimes other elements) that organisms use to fuel their metabolism. Foods would include lipids (fats and oils) carbohydrates (sugars, starch, etc.) and proteins.

  3. Essential Minerals (Nutrients)needed by Animals AND Plants) • Major Elements Trace Elements(= Macronutrients) (= Micronutrients)Carbon (C) Iron (Fe)Hydrogen (H) Manganese (Mn)Oxygen (O) Zinc (Zn)Nitrogen (N) Molybdinum (Mo) Phosphorus (P) Chlorine (Cl)Calcium (Ca) Copper (Cu)Potassium (K) VanadiumSulfur (S) Silicon (Si)Magnesium (Mg) Cobalt (Co)Sodium (Na)

  4. TRACE Essential Minerals(= Nutrients) • needed by certain animals or plants • Boron (B), Chromium (Cr), Fluorine (Fl), Iodine (I), Nickle (Ni), Selenium (Se), Tin (Sn)

  5. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES (I) • The more or less circular paths of the chemical elements passing back and forth between organisms and environment are known as Biogeochemical Cycles (also called Nutrient Cycles). • Essential elements are rarely (if ever) homogeneously distributed, nor present in only one chemical form throughout an ecosystem. These materials exist in compartments or pools which have varying exchange rates between them.

  6. BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES (II) • From the standpoint of the earth as a whole, Biogeochemical Cycles Fall into two groups: • Perfect (= gaseous) cyclescycles (nitrogen, carbon, oxygen) that have a large gaseous, rather easily exchangeable, reservoir which makes them less likely to get out of balance for long periods of time over large areas • Imperfect (= sedimentary) cyclescycles (calcium, phosphorus, iron) that involve the more earthbound elements and large portions of the supply may become unavailable for long periods of time over large areas (thus disturbing the cycle)

  7. AVAILABILITY OF NUTRIENTS • Even if the nutrient elements are in the soil and/or water of an area, they may be unavailable to organisms. • Some organisms can only utilize an element when it is present in a specific compound. • pH also affects the availability by either changing the chemical form of the element or simply by interfering with the uptake of that substance

  8. pH & RELATIVE NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY

  9. EXAMPLES OF BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES • Generalized Cycle • Sedimentary Cycles • Calcium • Phosphorus • Gaseous Cycles • Nitrogen • Carbon

  10. GENERALIZED BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLE

  11. CALCIUM CYCLE

  12. PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

  13. TROPHIC LEVEL CONCENTRATION • DEFINITION: • The selective retaining of certain elements or compounds by an organism so that the concentration builds up in these organism above what it is in their immediate habitat and/or food • AKA: trophic level magnification, biological concentration or biological magnification • T. L. Concentration can occur for: essential materials (even to toxic levels) non-essential materials (many are toxic)

  14. TROPHIC LEVEL CONCENTRATION

  15. NITROGEN CYCLE (I)

  16. NITROGEN CYCLE (II)

  17. CARBON CYCLE (I)

  18. CARBON CYCLE (II)

  19. PLEASE NOTE • You are not responsible for the Sulfur Cycle diagram on p. 45 of your text.What you need to know about sulfur and the sulfur cycle at this time is: • Sulfur compounds are a major contributor to acid precipitation • Sulfur may be involved in a feedback loop that helps to stabilize temperatures

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