The biosphere is a combined portion of the planet, where all life exist, including water, air, and the atmosphere.The study of ecology ranges from individuals, to populations, to communities, to ecosystems, to biomes, then onto the whole biosphere.There are four very importanty cycles in our biosphere;the water cycle, the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle.
The most basic necessity for living things is water. Most of our planet is made up of it, along with most of our body. Water is reused through the water cycle where it travels through our oceans, to the atmosphere, to land. During the process of evaporation water is changed from a liquid to an atmospheric gas. When the gaseous water molecules cool down, they begin to condense, leading to precipitation, or simply put rain. Now on land water will either soak into ground or run into rivers that will eventually lead back to the ocean. The cycle continues.
All organisms need nutrients to survive in order to grow and carry out important functions. Nutrients are passed on to each living and their environment through biogeochemical cycles. Recycling your nutrient is very important because in many systems there is often a short supply of nutrients. There are three very important nutrient cycles: the carbon cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the phosphorus cycle.
The carbon cycle is very important to ecosystems because it is the key ingredient in all living organisms. Carbon is found in the oceans, the air, rocks and in soil. Out of all the carbon on earth, less than 1% is actively circulated within the biosphere. However, there are four different processes involved in the
carbon cycle. The biological process involves photosynthesis and the decomposition of plans and animals. The geochemical process is the release of carbon dioxide by volcanoes. The mixed biochemical process involves the remains of organisms and their conversion into fossil fuels. Last but not least is human activity, which consist of humans burning forests. After all these processes are completed compounds breakdown and carbon is returned to the atmosphere. Nitrogen is needed to make amino acids. Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere. Products that contain nitrogen are ammonia, nitrate ions, and nitrite ions. Each can be found in the waste of many organisms or in the dead, decaying organic matter the part of the process of nitrogen fixation. During nitrogen fixation nitrogen gas is converted into ammonia. The bacteria or legumes on plants and in soil convert nitrogen into nitrates and nitrites, which producers use to make proteins. Consumers eat these produces and reuse the nitrogen to create their own proteins. Soil bacteria use the process of denitrification to convert nitrates into nitrogen gas, releasing it back into the air. Phosphorus is important because it is part of DNA and RNA molecules. Phosphorus is not like carbon, oxen, and nitrogen; it doesn’t enter the atmosphere. It is mostly found in rocks, soil and ocean sediments. As rocks start to wear down phosphorus, and then are eaten, bringing phosphorus up the food web. Without these cycles organisms would die from lack of nutrients and water.
BY : CRYSTAL DUMAS
THE BIOSPHERE