Gas Cycles
Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a very important component of life. It is needed to build proteins which are necessary to build new cells which are important to the homeostasis of life. The only organism that can fix atmospheric nitrogen into chemical compounds are a few species of bacteria known as nitrogen-fixing bacteria. All organisms depend on these bacteria to supply nitrogen.
Phosphorous
The phosphorus cycle is the movement of phosphorous from the environment to organisms then back to the environment. Phosphorus is present in fertilizers that stimulate and maximize plant growth. If too much fertilizer is used, runoff nitrogen and phosphorus can leak into aquatic ecosystems or nearby waterways which can cause rapid and abundant growth of algae, so we should be careful when manually applying fertilizer to effect plant growth.
Carbon
The carbon cycle is a process by which carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms.
The carbon cycle is very important. We burn the fossil fuels and release them into the atmosphere. The carbon then returns the atmosphere. The carbon then returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. The carbon then returns to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Power plants, factories and cars rely on fossil fuels to operate.