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ENS 211 Lecture 5 - Biogeochemistry and Nutrient Cycling

The document discusses biogeochemistry, which integrates biology, geology, and chemistry to understand the cycling of biologically active elements in Earth's environment. It highlights the role of soil in nutrient cycling, detailing processes such as decomposition, mineralization, and the transformations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Additionally, it explains the significance of biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems, emphasizing the recycling of chemical elements and the importance of water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles.

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9 views20 pages

ENS 211 Lecture 5 - Biogeochemistry and Nutrient Cycling

The document discusses biogeochemistry, which integrates biology, geology, and chemistry to understand the cycling of biologically active elements in Earth's environment. It highlights the role of soil in nutrient cycling, detailing processes such as decomposition, mineralization, and the transformations of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Additionally, it explains the significance of biogeochemical cycles in ecosystems, emphasizing the recycling of chemical elements and the importance of water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles.

Uploaded by

Resego lentswe
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UNIVERSITY OF BOTSWANA

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE

ENS 211 – THE EARTH ENVIRONMENT SYSTEM

LECTURE 5B – BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND NUTRIENT CYCLING

Dr M. Bitsang Office: 236/226


BIOGEOCHEMISTRY
• Biogeochemistry is a relatively new discipline that integrates knowledge
primarily from biology (ecology), geology and chemistry. The core of
biogeochemistry deals with cycling of biologically active elements.

(1) Biogeochemistry is the chemistry of the surface of the Earth.


(2) Biogeochemistry deals with control of the concentrations and
cycling of elements in and above the earth’s crust by the synthesis,
death and decomposition of organisms, most of which capture their
energy from the sun.

• Biogeochemical processes are imbedded in the atmosphere, the lithosphere


and the hydrosphere
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY Cont’d
• Soil’s role in Biogeochemistry
1. Vital compartment of biogeochemical processes
2. Vulnerable film of the planet Earth
3. The most important source of nutrients in the Biosphere
4. Soil links the atmosphere, the hydrosphere and the lithosphere.
5. Soil supports 50% of the primary production on Earth
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN SOIL
• Microorganisms and Decomposition

Decomposition: A general term for the breakdown of organic matter either from
complex forms to simpler forms or from simpler forms to inorganic forms. Although
decomposition may involve both biotic processes and abiotic processes, soil
microorganisms do most of the work.
Mineralization: A term refers to processes that release carbon as CO2 and other
nutrients in inorganic forms. Mineralization involves mostly biotic processes.
Immobilization: Refers to the accumulation of nutrients in soil microbial biomass
resulted from microbial growth or assimilation.

• Decomposition and mineralization are linked to plant production because most


plants take up inorganic nitrogen only.

• Soil respiration or the rate of CO2 release is often used as a measure of soil organic
matter decomposition.
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN SOIL Cont’d
Nitrogen transformation: (conversions among different forms of nitrogen)

Nitrogen fixation: N2 ----> R-NH2 (or NH3 ,NH4 +, NOx)


Nitrogen Amino
Combination

Ammonification: R-NH2 ----> NH3 (NH4+)

Assimilation: NO3 (NH4 +) ----> R-NH2

Nitrification: NH4+ ----> NO2- ---->NO3–


Ammomium Nitrite Nitrate

Denitrification: NO3- ----> NO2- ----> (NOx) ----> N2O----> N2


Nitrous Oxide
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN SOIL Cont’d
Fixation and Mobilization of Phosphorus
Phosphorus is easily fixed by chemical reactions with Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+ , Al3+, etc.
Phosphorus fixation is pH-dependent, and is the process that removes P from active
pools. Both too high and too low pH values can resulted in P fixation, for example:

2PO4 3+ + 3Ca2+ ( or Mg2+, Fe2+ etc) --> Ca3 (PO4 ) 2


Tricalcium phosphate

This is solely a chemical process.

Although the total P content of soils is large, in most soils only a small fraction is
available to biota, primarily because of chemical fixation.

Microbes play a crucial role in the transforming process from organic P to inorganic P,
and in mobilizing chemically-fixed P (mycorrhizal roots and other rhizosphere
activities).
NUTRIENT CYCLING IN SOIL Cont’d
Sulfur Transformation in Soils
Oxidative transformations:
H2S + O2 --> S0 + O2 ---> H2SO4
Sulphuric Acid

Sulfur oxidation produces acids.

Reductive sulfur transformations:


SO4= ---> SO3= ---> S0 ---> H2S
Sulfates

Sulfate reduction occurs at wide range of pH values, pressure, temperature and


salinity. Sulfate reduction is inhibited by oxygen, nitrate, ferric ions. H2S is very
toxic to aerobes and plant roots. Assimilatory sulfate reduction happen in many
organisms.
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND NUTRIENT CYCLING
• The biogeochemical cycle involves external transfers of elements among
different components of an ecosystem
• Uptake of nutrients from the soil and return of these nutrients in leaf fall,
branch shedding, root growth and death, or through tree mortality is a major
component of the biogeochemical nutrient cycle
• Therefore, biogeochemical and nutrient cycling is the washing of nutrients
from leaves and stem tissue and its return to the soil in precipitation falling
through the canopy or flowing down the stem as stemflow.
• Each biogeochemical cycle can be considered as having a reservoir (nutrient)
pool—a larger, slow-moving, usually abiotic portion—and an exchange
(cycling) pool—a smaller but more-active portion concerned with the rapid
exchange between the biotic and abiotic aspects of an ecosystem.
• The biogeochemical cycle involves the movement of elements and compounds
among four major systems: 1. land and soil (lithosphere), 2. organisms
(biosphere), 3. air (atmosphere) and 4. the ocean (hydrosphere).
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND NUTRIENT CYCLING
• Energy flows through an ecosystem and is dissipated as heat, but chemical
elements are recycled.
• Biogeochemical Cycles can be defined as mechanisms by which chemicals (e.g.
carbon, oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen and water) are moved through the
ecosphere/biosphere to be renewed over and over again OR simply
biogeochemical cycles are the ways in which an element—or compound such
as water—moves between its various living and nonliving forms and locations
in the biosphere.
• The three (3) major cycles are gaseous, sedimentary and hydrologic.
• The name biogeochemistry reflects the importance of chemistry and geology
as well as biology in helping us understand these cycles.
• Biogeochemical cycles that are important to living organisms include the water,
carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles.
BIOGEOCHEMISTRY AND NUTRIENT CYCLING
• The water cycle is a particularly important driver of other biogeochemical cycles. E.g., the
movement of water is critical for the leaching of nitrogen and phosphate into rivers, lakes,
and oceans. The ocean is also a major reservoir—holding tank—for carbon.
• Carbon is found in all organic macromolecules and is also a key component of fossil fuels.
Nitrogen is needed for our deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), ribonucleic acid (RNA) and proteins
and is critical to human agriculture.
• Phosphorus is a key component of DNA, RNA and is one of the main ingredients—along
with nitrogen—in artificial fertilizers used in agriculture.
• Sulfur is key to protein structure and is released to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil
fuels

NOTE: Nutrient exchanges may occur either with coastal waters or with the atmosphere
depending on whether the nutrient has a gas phase or not. Substantial amounts of carbon
and nitrogen can exchange with the atmosphere, resulting in very complex mechanisms
both at the interface with coastal waters and with the atmosphere that influence the mass
balance of these nutrients.
ENERGY FLOWS IN BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

Energy flows directionally through


Earth’s ecosystems, entering in the In this image, the flow of
energy is shown with yellow
form of sunlight and exiting in the
and red arrows. Yellow
form of heat.
indicates usable energy and
However, the chemical components red indicates energy lost in
that make up living organisms are the unusable form of heat.
different: they get recycled. Green arrows show the
continual recycling of
chemical nutrients.
WATER CYCLE

Water from the land and oceans enters the atmosphere by evaporation or sublimation, where it condenses into clouds and
falls as rain or snow. Precipitated water may enter freshwater bodies or infiltrate the soil. The cycle is complete when
surface or groundwater reenters the ocean. (credit: modification of work by John M. Evans and Howard Perlman, USGS)
CARBON CYCLE

Carbon dioxide gas exists in the atmosphere and is dissolved in water. Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide gas to
organic carbon, and respiration cycles the organic carbon back into carbon dioxide gas. Long-term storage of organic
carbon occurs when matter from living organisms is buried deep underground and becomes fossilized. Volcanic activity
and, more recently, human emissions bring this stored carbon back into the carbon cycle. (credit: modification of work
by John M. Evans and Howard Perlman, USGS)
NITROGEN CYCLE

Nitrogen enters the living world from the atmosphere via nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This nitrogen and nitrogenous waste
from animals is then processed back into gaseous nitrogen by soil bacteria, which also supply terrestrial food webs
with the organic nitrogen they need. (credit: “Nitrogen cycle” by Johann Dréo & Raeky)
PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

In nature, phosphorus exists as the phosphate ion (PO43-). Weathering of rocks and volcanic activity releases phosphate into
the soil, water, and air, where it becomes available to terrestrial food webs. Phosphate enters the oceans in surface runoff,
groundwater flow, and river flow. Phosphate dissolved in ocean water cycles into marine food webs. Some phosphate from
the marine food webs falls to the ocean floor, where it forms sediment. (credit: modification of work by John M. Evans and
SULFUR CYCLE

Sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere becomes available to terrestrial and marine ecosystems when it is dissolved in
precipitation as weak sulfuric acid or when it falls directly to Earth as fallout. Weathering of rocks also makes sulfates
available to terrestrial ecosystems. Decomposition of living organisms returns sulfates to the ocean, soil, and atmosphere.
(credit: modification of work by John M. Evans and Howard Perlman, USGS)

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