Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle, the series of natural processes by which carbon in the air is made
available to living things, is used by them, and is then returned to the air. Such
food-making organisms as plants and algae need carbon to form carbohydrates,
which are essential for growth. They absorb carbon dioxide from the air; through
photosynthesis, the carbon dioxide is combined with water to form
carbohydrates. Other living things, such as animals, need carbohydrates for
energy, but, unlike plants, cannot manufacture their own. Herbivores obtain
carbohydrates by eating green plants and metabolize (chemically break down) the
carbohydrates into useful substances. Carnivores, in turn, obtain these useful
substances by eating herbivores. Carbon dioxide is released back into the
atmosphere when the animals breathe. Small amounts of carbon dioxide are
released into the air by the decomposition of dead organisms by the action of
certain bacteria and fungi. The burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, also releases
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Diagram of the carbon cycle. The black numbers indicate how much carbon is
stored in various reservoirs, in billions of tons ("GtC" stands for GigaTons of
Carbon and figures are circa 2004). The dark blue numbers indicate how much
carbon moves between reservoirs each year. The sediments, as defined in this
diagram, do not include the ~70 million GtC of carbonate rock and kerogen.
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle, the series of natural processes by which certain nitrogen-
containing substances from air and soil are made useful to living things, are used
by them, and are returned to the air and soil. All living things must have nitrogen
to build proteins. Because of the chemical nature of nitrogen gas, however, they
cannot obtain that element directly from the air. Instead, food-making organisms
such as plants obtain it from the soil by absorbing nitrates (various nitrogen
compounds containing oxygen) and ammonium compounds (various nitrogen
compounds containing hydrogen). The nitrogen cycle is essential to plants in
unfertilized soils because in such soils the nitrogen compounds are not available to
the plants in any other way.Animals, and other living things that do not make their
food, depend on the nitrogen cycle indirectly. Most animals, for example, eat
plants or eat plant-eating animals.The nitrogen cycle consists of four natural
processes: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and decay.
Nitrogen Fixation
is the process in which nitrogen gas from the air is continuously made into nitrogen
compounds. These compounds (primarily nitrates and ammonium compounds) are
made by nitrogen-fixing microorganisms in the soil and by lightning.
Nitrification
is the process in which ammonia in the soil is converted to nitrates. Nitrification is
performed by nitrifying bacteria. Plants absorb the nitrates and use them to make
proteins.
Denitrification
is the reverse of the combined processes of nitrogen fixation and nitrification. It is
the process by which nitrogen compounds, through the action of certain bacteria,
give up nitrogen gas that then becomes part of the atmosphere. The amount of gas
released by this process is relatively small.
Decay Processes
are those by which the organic nitrogen compounds of dead organisms and waste
material are returned to the soil. These compounds are chiefly proteins and urea.
The many bacteria and fungi causing decay convert them to ammonia and
ammonium compounds in the soil.
Thus, through the nitrogen cycle, food-making organisms obtain the necessary
nitrogen through nitrogen fixation and (to a greater extent) through nitrification. At
the same time, nitrogen compounds are returned to the soil through decay and
nitrogen is returned to the air through denitrification.In soils in which many plants
are raised and few are left to decay (as in farm soils), the nitrogen cycle does not
supply enough nitrogen to support plant growth. In these soils natural or artificial
fertilizers, containing nitrates or ammonium compounds, are needed.