Cycles Driving the Ecosystem

Ecosystems are one of the most common terms you might have heard in Biology. The ecosystem consists of a group of living things interacting with one another and their surroundings, both living and nonliving things. Earth’s ecosystem experience a directionally flowing flow of energy, which generally comes from sunshine and leaves as heat. However, the chemical components that makeup living things are distinct because they are renewed. Now you might think, why does that matter?

Water, Carbon, Nitrogen, Sulphur, and Phosphorus are just a few examples of the elements that make up living things. Because they are scarce in the environment, these elements must be maintained and recycled. Elements can flow through ecosystems via biogeochemical cycles, and it explains how all living and non-living things cycle through nature because matter cannot be created or destroyed. 

Types of Cycles of Ecosystem

The biogeochemical cycles are mainly divided into two:

• Gaseous cycle – The gaseous cycle includes Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, and water.
• Sedimentary cycle – Phosphorus, Sulphur, Rock cycle, etc., comes under the sedimentary cycle category. 

Now that you have an overview of the types of cycles, let us take a look at a detailed explanation of each of these cycles:

• Water Cycle – Precipitation is the first step in the water cycle. Water from lakes, rivers and oceans evaporates into the atmosphere. Under the right circumstances, this water vapour can collect to form clouds. These gases eventually cool and condense into rain or other types of precipitation. The Earth’s surface is where this precipitation hits. The water table in the environment is then replenished by some of the precipitation that seeps into the ground. The remainder eventually returns to the lakes and oceans it originally came from after flowing into streams and rivers.
  
• Carbon Cycle – The biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and pedosphere all exchange carbon throughout the carbon cycle. For photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and sunlight are required by all green plants. Thus, the plant stores carbon. When dead, the green plants are buried in the soil, releasing carbon to create fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when these fossil fuels are burned. Additionally, the carbon that plants store is obtained by the animals that eat plants. After these animals pass away, their decomposition releases this carbon back into the atmosphere. The carbon is also released into the environment when animals breathe via their cells.
  
• Oxygen cycle – The lithosphere, the biosphere, and the atmosphere are all involved in this biogeochemical cycle. On our planet, oxygen is available in plenty, and it can be found in the atmosphere in the elemental form to the amount of 21%. During photosynthesis, plants emit oxygen. When people and other animals breathe in oxygen, they exhale carbon dioxide, which plants then absorb. They use this carbon dioxide during photosynthesis to turn it into oxygen, continuing the cycle.
  
• Nitrogen cycle – Nitrogen is changed into many forms and circulates through the atmosphere and different ecosystems, including terrestrial and marine ecosystems, through the Nitrogen cycle. Life cannot exist without nitrogen. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in the root nodules of leguminous plants fix atmospheric nitrogen, making it available to the soil and plants. This nitrogen gas is transformed into the useful chemical ammonia by bacteria found in plant roots. Additionally, fertilisers containing ammonia are given to plants. Nitrites and nitrates are produced from this ammonia. Nitrates are converted to nitrogen and released back into the atmosphere by denitrifying bacteria in this cycle. 
  
• Sulphur cycle – Rocks, bodies of water, and living things all participate in this biogeochemical cycle. When rock, weather, and sulphur are released into the atmosphere and changed into sulphates, the bacteria and plants absorb these sulphates and transform them into organic forms. Organic sulphur is consumed by animals through food. When the animals die and decompose, sulphur is returned to the soil, which the plants and microbes again obtain, and the cycle continues.
  
• Phosphorus cycle – Phosphorus travels through the hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere during this biogeochemical cycle. By weathering rocks, phosphorus is removed. Phosphorus is lost from the soil and water bodies as a result of rain and erosion. Animals and plants acquire this phosphorus from the soil and water in order to flourish. Phosphorus is also necessary for the growth of microorganisms. When plants and animals perish, they decompose, returning the stored phosphorus to the soil and water bodies where it is once more ingested by new plants and animals, continuing the cycle.

Importance of Biogeochemical Cycles

The planet’s ability to store materials and use energy is explained in part by biogeochemical cycles. Ecosystems are moved by cycles, allowing for the possibility of alteration. They are crucial because they recycle and store materials. The connections between all living and nonliving things on Earth can also be shown through biogeochemical cycles.

Because humans have an impact on these cycles, understanding them is essential. Different ecosystems are being harmed by human activities, which is disrupting some of these natural cycles. Humans may be able to prevent the negative effects by paying attention to how these pathways function.

We hope this article on cycles driving the ecosystem helped you. If you have any doubt about this topic, feel to reach out to us. We will get back to you at the earliest. 

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