Carbon Nitrogen Cycles
Carbon Nitrogen Cycles - Related Videos
01:49
The Nitrogen Cycle
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2019
Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
10:41
Carbon and Nitrogen Analysis of Environmental Samples
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Margaret Workman and Kimberly Frye - Depaul University Elemental Analysis is a method used to determine elemental composition of a material. In environmental samples such as soils, scientists are particularly interested in the amounts of two ecologically important elements, nitrogen and carbon. Elemental analysis by the flash combustion technique works by oxidizing the sample with a catalyst through combustion in a high-temperature chamber. The products of combustion are...
01:14
The Carbon Cycle
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2019
Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among living organisms, and one in which carbon is cycled over long periods of time through fossilized organic remains, weathering of rocks, and volcanic activity. Human activities, including increased agricultural practices and the burning of fossil fuels, has greatly affected the balance of the natural carbon cycle. Biological Carbon Cycle All...
01:26
Microbes and the Nitrogen Cycle
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2026
The nitrogen cycle is a complex biogeochemical process critical to maintaining the balance of nitrogenous compounds in ecosystems. This cycle involves multiple microbial-mediated transformations through which nitrogen changes oxidation states, supporting essential ecological functions and contributing to plant and microbial growth.Nitrogen Fixation and AmmonificationNitrogen fixation initiates the cycle by converting inert atmospheric nitrogen (N₂) into bioavailable ammonia (NH₃), a process...
07:11
Biofilm Removal Using Carbon Dioxide Aerosols without Nitrogen Purge
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Cited by 2 •
2016
Biofilms on surfaces can be effectively and rapidly removed by using a periodic jet of carbon dioxide aerosols without a nitrogen purge.
FAQs
Plants link the two cycles by coupling carbon capture with nitrogen acquisition. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide and creates the carbon foundation for biological production, while nitrogen fixation or soil uptake supplies nitrogen. Microbial activity then helps transform and return these elements through decomposition and other soil processes. This connection makes nutrient availability and ecosystem productivity dependent on interacting carbon and nitrogen pathways.
Nitrification and denitrification are complementary nitrogen transformations associated with microbial activity. Rather than treating nitrogen as a single, static pool, biology tracks how these processes change its form and movement among soil, water, organisms, and the atmosphere. That distinction helps explain changing nitrogen availability and links microbial processes to ecosystem productivity.
Photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition give carbon its main biological route through ecosystems. Photosynthesis removes atmospheric carbon dioxide into living biomass, whereas respiration and decomposition return carbon to the environment. Because these processes connect organisms with atmospheric and soil reservoirs, shifts in their balance affect carbon availability, ecosystem functioning, and the climate-regulating role of the cycle.
Human activities disturb the cycles through several distinct pressures. Fossil fuel combustion alters carbon movement, fertilizer use changes nitrogen inputs, and deforestation alters biological connections between organisms and environmental reservoirs. These disruptions can extend beyond nutrient availability, contributing to climate change, soil degradation, eutrophication, and biodiversity loss. Comparing each pressure with its affected reservoir helps clarify the resulting ecological consequences.
Biological study of the cycles can reveal how nutrient availability, microbial activity, and energy flow shape ecosystem productivity. It also connects processes occurring in organisms and soils with changes in atmospheric, water, and other environmental reservoirs. This perspective supports interpretation of ecosystem responses to altered carbon movement, nitrogen supply, deforestation, fertilizer use, and other human-driven environmental changes.
A useful analysis follows each element across the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms, then maps the processes that move or transform it. Researchers can examine photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, fixation, nitrification, and denitrification as connected pathways rather than isolated events. This approach clarifies nutrient availability, microbial activity, ecosystem productivity, and the effects of human disturbance.