Biogeochemical cycles definition and Example

What is biogeochemical cycles with examples

The flow of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms and the physical environment is called biogeochemical cycle. Chemicals absorbed or ingested by organisms are passed though the food chain and returned to the soil, air, and water by such mechanisms as respiration, excretion, and decomposition. 

Layers of Atmosphere

As an element moves through this cycle, it often forms compounds with other elements as a result of metabolic processes in living tissues and of natural reactions in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, or lithosphere.  

92 elements in Nature

Of the 92 elements produced in nature, only six are critical to the life of organisms: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, and sulfur. Though these elements account for 95% of the mass of all living things, their importance extends far beyond the biosphere. Hydrogen and hydrosphere, while oxygen and nitrogen form the bulk of the atmosphere. 

Part of complex Biogeochemical cycles

All six are part of complex biogeochemical cycles in which they pass through the biosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and aerosphere. These cycles circulate nutrients through the soil into plants, microbes, and animals, which return the elements to the earth system through chemical processes that range from respiration to decomposition.