Biogeochemical Cycles Notes

Definition of Matter

• Matter: Anything that occupies space and has mass.
• Law of Conservation of Mass: Matter is neither created nor destroyed.

Biogeochemical Cycles

• New life is formed from existing atoms cycling through the biosphere.
• Biogeochemical cycle: The exchange of matter through the biosphere.
• Atoms cycle through food webs and biogeochemical cycles.

Important Biogeochemical Cycles

• Water cycle
• Carbon cycle
• Oxygen cycle
• Nitrogen cycle
• Phosphorus cycle

Carbon and Oxygen Cycle

• Carbon is necessary to form carbohydrates
• Photosynthesis: Converts carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates, releasing oxygen.
• Cellular respiration: Uses oxygen to break down carbohydrates, releasing carbon dioxide.

Carbon Cycle Details

• Key components include:
  • CO₂ in the atmosphere
  • Land plants (photosynthesis, respiration, decay)
  • Soils (decomposition)
  • Ocean (diffusion, sedimentation, dead organisms, bicarbonate HCO_3 and animal waste)
  • Processes: Combustion, destruction of vegetation, fossilization, calcification