Nature’s Nutrient Cycle – European Environment Agency

The standing state refers to the amount of nutrients such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and other elements present in the soil at any particular time. Plants, also known as producers, gather up nutrients that are left in the soil and turn them into organic matter. In the form of organic matter, nutrients travel from producers to higher trophic levels. Biological, abiotic, chemical, and physical variables all play a role in nutrient cycle. The carbon cycle, oxygen cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle, phosphorus cycle, and others are examples of nutrient cycles.

Nature’s nutrient Cycle

Soil is important in many natural cycles, including the nutrient cycle, which determines how much soil organic matter — such as carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus — is taken up and stored. Organic substances like leaves and root tips are broken down into simpler compounds by soil organisms before being utilised by plants. Some soil bacteria transfer nitrogen from the atmosphere into mineral nitrogen, which is required for plant growth. Fertilisers deliver nitrogen and phosphates to encourage plant growth, but plants do not absorb all of them. The surplus can pollute rivers and lakes, affecting aquatic ecosystems.

Nutrient Cycling in ecosystem

In an ecosystem, nutrient cycling is a necessary activity. The nutrient cycle describes the use of nutrients in the environment, as well as their mobility and recycling activities. Nutrient cycles include not just live creatures but also non-living elements. Nutrient cycling is the biotic and abiotic movement of nutrients through an environment. Carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are all stored in large quantities in the ocean. One of the most critical processes in an ecosystem is nutrient cycling. The nutrient cycle describes how nutrients are used, moved, and recycled in the environment. Abiotic ecosystems such as the atmosphere, water, and soil recycle elements like carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen.

Types of nutrient Cycle

Hydrologic or Water Cycle

Water is essential for the survival of life. The water cycle is responsible for the exchange of water between the atmosphere, land, sea, and living creatures and their environments. Evaporation, transpiration, cloud formation, and precipitation are all part of the water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle. 

The following are the steps involved in the water or hydrologic cycle:

1. Evaporation and transpiration transfer water from the Earth to the atmosphere in the form of water vapour. When water hits its boiling point, it evaporates.

2. Evaporation converts water found in lakes, oceans, and other water reservoirs into vapours. Transpiration takes place at the plant’s surface.

3. After the water has been turned into vapours, the vapours are changed back into liquid form as the temperature rises; this is known as condensation.

4. Precipitation is the process of small droplets of water falling down due to gravity.

5. Rainwater falls on the ground and fills water bodies, which is referred to as runoff or stored as groundwater.

Carbon Cycle

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is basically the only source of carbon. The carbon cycle is the process by which carbon elements are exchanged between the Earth’s biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere.

The carbon cycle involves the following steps:

• Photosynthesis is the process through which plants absorb carbon from the atmosphere.

• By breathing, all living creatures emit carbon dioxide.

• When herbivores eat plants, the carbon found in the plants is transferred to the animals. Carnivores obtain carbon from a variety of food chains.

• Decomposition occurs when animal and plant bodies degrade, and carbon is returned to the soil.

• Carbon that is not transported to the soil is buried deep underground and eventually produces fossil fuels. When fossil fuels are burned, carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide gas.

Phosphorus Cycle

Nucleic acids, ADP, ATP, NADP, phospholipids, and other compounds include phosphorus. It can be found in the soil in a variety of forms, including rock phosphate, calcium, iron or aluminium phosphate, fluorapatite, and so on. Phosphorus, like many other mineral elements, enters the oceans and settles as sediment. Phosphorus percolates down to deep soil layers in enormous amounts. Phosphorus is locked up for a long time by biological processes such as the creation of teeth and bones.

The Phosphorus cycle includes the following steps:

• Plants absorb the dissolved Phosphorus and convert it into an organic form.

• Plants release organic phosphates, which migrate to various trophic levels.

• Phosphorus is released into the environment by decomposers acting on the dead components of plants and animals. As a result, the process repeats again.

Conclusion

The terms biogeochemical cycle and nutrient cycle are often used interchangeably. Most textbooks combine the two and regard them as interchangeable terms. However, the terms frequently appear separately. The term “nutrient cycle” is most commonly used to refer to an intra-system cycle, in which an ecosystem acts as a unit. It is not practicable to evaluate a terrestrial ecosystem by taking into account the entire column of air above it as well as the huge depths of the Earth below it. While an ecosystem frequently has no obvious boundaries, it is useful to consider the functional community where the majority of matter and energy movement happens as a working model.