2. Opening Prayer
Lord God, we want to thank you for all the blessings
you have given us. Thank you for staying by our side
always and for guiding us on our paths. Please give us
peace as we all rest tonight and give us strength to
face another day. May we all be kept away from any
danger and may You always guide us everyday. We
pray that may all your people be blessed and at peace
at this very moment. May they all find true happiness
and contentment through You. These we ask through
your Son Jesus Christ. Amen
5. General
Considerations
Definition
Movements of elements and
compounds that are essential
to life
“Bio” - life, participation
of organisms
“Geo” - abiotic
environment as source of
nutrients
“Chemical” - nature of the
substances being cycled
6. “Bio” - life, participation
of organisms
“Geo” - abiotic
environment as source of
nutrients
“Chemical” - nature of the
substances being cycled
Generalized Biogeochemical Cycle
7. Characteristics of a Cycle
● Movement
● Reservoir Pool
● Exchange or Cycling
Pool
● Assimilation
● Release
Biogeochemical Cycling and
Energy Flow
8. Basic Types of Cycles
● Gaseous Type
○ reservoir -
atmosphere or
hydrosphere
9. Basic Types of Cycles
● Sedimentary Type
○ reservoir - Earth’s
crust
Phosphorus Cycle
10. Basic Types of Cycles
● Linkage Type
○ reservoir - major
pathways in air,
water, and crust
11. Errors on Nutrient
Cycling
● Pollution
● Non-biodegradable
substances
● reduction of the
concentration of other
chemical forms
● Eutrophication
13. Water Cycle
● The Processes
○ Precipitation
○ Runoff &
Infiltration
○ Evaporation
○ Condensation
14. Water Cycle
● Reservoir - oceans, air,
groundwater & glaciers
● Assimilation - plants
absorb water from soil;
animals drink water or
eat organisms
● Release - plants
transpire; decomposition
15. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● More consumption
than supply
● Pumping waters from
aquifers
● Garbage and wastes
pollute
● Asphalting and
damming
16. Oxygen Cycle
● Type: Gaseous
● Major Reservoir: Atmosphere
● Sources: photosynthesis from
producers & photodissociation
of water vapor
● Assimilation: plants &
animals take in oxygen for cell
respiration
● Release: photosynthesis
19. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● Increased utilization
and burning of fossil
fuels
● Massive deforestation
● Waste incineration
20. Nitrogen Cycle
● Type: Gaseous
● Major Reservoir: Atmosphere
(N2
), soil (NH4
+
, NH3
, NO2
-
, NO3
-
)
● Assimilation:
○ 79% of atmosphere is
made up of N2
but this is
inert.
○ Plants absorb NO3
-
or NH4
+
○ Animals obtain N by eating
animals and plants
22. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● Nitrogen Fertilizers
● Nitrates leaching into
groundwater
● Nitrogen oxides released
through combustion
● livestock release large
amounts of ammonia
from wastes
23. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● Nitrogen Fertilizers
● Nitrates leaching into
groundwater
● Nitrogen oxides released
through combustion
● livestock release large
amounts of ammonia
from wastes
24. Phosphorus Cycle
● Type: Purely sedimentary
● Major Reservoir: rocks
● Assimilation: in soil,
phosphates are absorbed by
plants & passed on to
consumer level by herbivory
● Release: decomposition,
phosphatizing bacteria return
phosphate to soil
25. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● Humans mine phosphate
ores for fertilizer
production & detergents
● Human action can lead
to eutrophication of
aquatic systems which
cause algal blooms
26. Sulfur Cycle
● Type: linkage (sedimentary +
atmospheric)
● Major Reservoir: inorganic
sulfur in rocks & fossil fuel
● Importance: important
element in protoplasm which
is an important component of
some amino acids; part of
proteins, vitamins, and
hormones
27. IMPACTS OF HUMAN
INTRUSION
● Humans produce sulfur
dioxide from industry &
internal combustion
energy.
● Sulfur dioxide can
precipitate onto surfaces
● Sulfur dioxide can be
oxidized to sulfate in the
atmosphere as sulfuric acid
31. MERCURY
● fish can be contaminated
with methylmercury from
neighbouring industrial
plants
● Result: Minamata disease
or Mercury poisoning
● Effects: blindness,
deafness, lack of
coordination, intellectual
deterioration
32. CADMIUM
● Itai-itai disease is cadmium
poisoning, first in Japan in
1950
● Cadmium is released into
the river by mining
companies in the
mountains
● causes softening of the
bone & kidney failure
33. LEAD
● Lead poisoning: increases
level of lead leads to
negative effects on nervous
and reproductive system
● e.g., lead containing
gasoline, paints, batteries,
electric wires, cables, etc.
34. HYDROCARBONs
● DDT - was a leading
pesticide in 1972 which was
banned
● exposure to DDT causes
eggshell thinning in birds
species
● thinner shells lead to
declining numbers
35. Biomagnification is a
biological process in which
“higher concentrations of a
particular chemical are
reached in organisms higher
up the food chain, generally
through a series of
prey-predator relationships”
