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Understanding Biogeochemical Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen, and Water, Slides of Biology

Punjab Technical UniversityBiology

An introduction to biogeochemical cycles, focusing on systems, the carbon and nitrogen cycles, and the water cycle. It covers the definition of systems, the importance of biogeochemical cycles, and the commonalities among them. The document also discusses the carbon and nitrogen cycles, including transformations and the role of plants and animals, and the water cycle, including the water pools and fluxes.

Typology: Slides

2012/2013

Uploaded on 01/22/2013

ashima
ashima 🇮🇳

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Where are we so far
•
Environment defined & explored
•
Climate and Climate Change Presented
•
Ideas regarding environmentalism,
sustainability, happiness
–There is a crisis and we can approach it from
different directions
•Everyone in Priuses
•Example from Port Alberni, BC
•Moving towards sustainability and happiness
•Places for renewal
•Biogeochemical Cycles
Two Options
•
Mt Teneriffe
•I-90 to North Bend,
Mt. Si Road, cont. to
school bus turn-
around
•
Cutthroat Pass
•I-5 to Mt. Vernon,
Highway 20 to Rainy
Pass
Biogeochemical Cycles - Lecture 1
Class Lecture Goals
1. What are systems?
2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
3. Why are they important?
4. What is common about them?
5. Carbon and nitrogen cycles
6. Water Cycle (Monday)
What is a system?
•
System: a collection of matter, parts, or
components which are included inside a specified,
often arbitrary, boundary. Example: Ecosystem
•
Systems often have inputs and outputs.
•For dynamic systems, by definition, one or more
aspects of the system change with time.
–Example of a simple dynamic system: bathtub or your
‘bank’ account.
•The boundary of a dynamic system is chosen for
convenience -- often the boundary is arbitrary
Flux
Electric
Energy
Cold
Water Hot
Water
Flux
Flux
Pool Heat
Loss
Output
Input
Carbon
dioxide
C-pool
Night
Where are we?
1. What are systems?
2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
3. Why are they important?
4. What is common about them?
5. Carbon and nitrogen cycles
6. Focus on the Water Cycle (Monday)
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Download Understanding Biogeochemical Cycles: Carbon, Nitrogen, and Water and more Slides Biology in PDF only on Docsity!

Where are we so far

  •  Environment defined & explored
  •  Climate and Climate Change Presented
  •  Ideas regarding environmentalism,

sustainability, happiness

  •  There is a crisis and we can approach it from different directions -  Everyone in Priuses -  Example from Port Alberni, BC -  Moving towards sustainability and happiness
  •  Places for renewal
  •  Biogeochemical Cycles

Two Options

  •  Mt Teneriffe
  •  I-90 to North Bend,

Mt. Si Road, cont. to

school bus turn-

around

  •  Cutthroat Pass
  •  I-5 to Mt. Vernon,

Highway 20 to Rainy

Pass

Biogeochemical Cycles - Lecture 1

Class Lecture Goals

  1. What are systems?
  2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
  3. Why are they important?
  4. What is common about them?
  5. Carbon and nitrogen cycles
  6. Water Cycle (Monday)

What is a system?

  •  System : a collection of matter, parts, or

components which are included inside a specified,

often arbitrary, boundary. Example: Ecosystem

  •  Systems often have inputs and outputs.
  •  For dynamic systems, by definition, one or more

aspects of the system change with time.

  •  Example of a simple dynamic system: bathtub or your ‘bank’ account.
  •  The boundary of a dynamic system is chosen for

convenience -- often the boundary is arbitrary

Flux

Electric Energy

Cold Water

Hot Water

Flux Flux

Pool (^) Heat Loss

Output

Input

Carbon dioxide

C-pool

Night

Where are we?

  1. What are systems?
  2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
  3. Why are they important?
  4. What is common about them?
  5. Carbon and nitrogen cycles
  6. Focus on the Water Cycle (Monday)

What are biogeochemical cycles?

  •  Earth system has four parts
    •  Atmosphere
    •  Hydrosphere
    •  Lithosphere
    •  Biosphere
  •  Biogeochemical cycles : The chemical interactions (cycles) that exist between the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere.
  •  Abiotic (physio-chemical) and biotic processes drive these cycles
  •  Focus on carbon and water cycles (but could include all necessary elements for life). N - cycle weakly touched on!

What is common amongst them?

  •  Each compound (water, carbon, nitrogen)

typically exists in all four parts of the Earth

System

  •  Biologically useful forms are usually in low

concentrations or quantities

  •  There are
    •  ‘Pools’
    •  Fluxes in and out of pools
    •  Chemical or biochemical transformations
  •  Transformations
    •  are important
    •  can lead to positive & negative consequences

Transformations

Examples of Transformations 1. Carbon cycle : Organic compounds to CO 2 (processes: respiration, decomposition, or fire) 2. Carbon cycle : CO 2 to organic compounds (process: photosynthesis) 3. Nitrogen cycle : N 2 to NO 3 (atmospheric nitrogen to plant utilizable nitrate) (process: N-fixation) 4. Nitrogen cycle : N 2 to NH 3 (plant utilizable ammonia) (process: Haber-Bosch Industrial N-fixation) 5. Water cycle : Liquid water to water vapor (process: evaporation and evapo-transpiration) 6. Water cycle : Water vapor to liquid water (process: condensation)

Policy Issue : Trees capture carbon, Carbon is stored in trees Carbon can be released slowly (respiration, decomposition) Or Rapidly (fire)

Policy Issue : Rapidly growing plants (trees or crops) need nitrogen fertilizer Fertilizer can come from organic and non-organic sources Organic sources are inefficient Inorganic sources are fossil fuel intensive

Where are we?

  1. What are systems?
  2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
  3. Why are they important?
  4. What is common about them?
  5. Carbon and nitrogen cycle
  6. Focus on the Water Cycle (Monday)

5000

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/carbon_cycle_version2.html

Carbon Cycle Carbon Cycle Data

  •  Burning of fossil fuels
  •  Land conversion
  •  Cement
  •  Role of Oceans
  •  Role of terrestrial plants (trees & soils)

760

59

Lithosphere

Nitrogen Cycle

http://soil.gsfc.nasa.gov/NFTG/nitrocyc.htm

Forms of Nitrogen (N 2 ) 1. N 2 - inert gas, 78% of the atmosphere 2. NO, N 2 0, NO 2 - other gases of nitrogen, not directly biologically important. Part of the gases found in smog. 3. NO 3 -^ (nitrate) and NH 4 +^ (ammonium) -- ionic forms of nitrogen that are biologically usable.

Biological Forms:

Plants: Nitrate (NO 3 -^ ) and ammonium (NH 4 +^ )

Plants to animals (amino acids, proteins)

Animal to animal (amino acids, proteins)

Biological Nitrogen Sources over Time

Nitrogen Cycle: Key Points

  •  Nitrogen is in the atmosphere as N 2 (78%)
  •  N 2 is an inert gas and cannot be used by plants

or animals

  •  N 2 can be converted to a usable form via
    •  Lightening
    •  N-fixing micro-organisms (free living, assoc. with plant)
    •  Industrial process (energy intensive)
  •  Plant growth is often limited by low soil nitrogen
  •  Nitrogen is easily converted & lost from biological

systems (e.g., fire)

Knowing something about the

carbon and nitrogen cycle we will

explore corn ethanol as a source of

energy

  •  Constraints:
    •  Not a discussion of energy independence

or balance of trade

  •  An assessment of how corn is involved in the C and N cycles.
  •  How we must follow the first and second laws of thermodynamics

Burning dried plants or compounds

from dried plants is similar to recycling

1 2

1. Yes

2. No

Theoretically, burning ethanol from corn vs. burning oil should reduce the rate we are

adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

1 2

1. True

2. False

What are the two laws of

thermodynamics?

  •  Conservation of Energy: Energy can be

transformed from one form to another form;

energy cannot be created nor destroyed.

  •  Example: Light energy from the sun is converted to chemical energy represented by the energy in chemical bonds (carbon-carbon units in sugar).
  •  Entropy: Each transformation results in heat

production and therefore the form of energy

becomes increasingly less able to do work.

  •  Example: Inefficiency of
    •  Photosynthesis
    •  Food chain

Steps in Ethanol Production

  •  Sun -- Sugar -- corn plant
  •  Corn plant -- sugar -- ethanol
  •  Carbon dioxide produced in
    •  Farming
      •  Planting
      •  Fertilizing and fertilizer production (N)
      •  Irrigation
      •  Harvesting
    •  Transportation
    •  Processing
    •  Distribution

Purely from a Carbon and Nitrogen

cycling consideration, ethanol

production …

1 2 3 4 5

1. Is clearly an

outstanding strategy

2. Is a strategy worth

considering

3. Is a strategy worth

considering, but with

proper cautions

4. Is a totally bad idea

5. I walk & bike and its

not my problem

Summary

  •  1. What are systems?
  •  2. What are biogeochemical cycles?
  •  3. Why are they important?
  •  4. What is common about them?
  •  5. Carbon and nitrogen cycles
  •  Monday: water cycle