Compare and contrast the two cycles of matter

The path of energy in an ecosystem is unidirectional, that is, it has a one-way path. On the other hand, matter circulates between the biotic environment and the abiotic environment, thanks to the presence of decomposers. This circulation of matter is called cycles of matter. These cycles are essential for the life and reproduction of living beings. They are natural processes that recycle chemical elements such as carbon, water, nitrogen, phosphorus, among other elements.

Below is a comparison between the carbon and nitrogen cycles.

Explanation:

Nitrogen: Nitrogen is an essential chemical element for life, it participates in protein molecules and also in the nitrogenous bases of nucleic acids. In its gaseous form (N2), it constitutes almost 80% of the atmospheric air, but it cannot be assimilated directly by the vast majority of living beings. Plants can absorb nitrogen in the form of ammonia or nitrates and animals take advantage of this element when they ingest proteins that contain it. Plants can obtain nitrates by two different methods: biological or direct fixation and nitrification.

Carbon: Organic compounds are those that have carbon in their composition. In the atmosphere, we find carbon in the form of carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide is popularly known as carbon dioxide and it can pass from the abiotic medium to the biotic medium through the producers, through the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis uses six molecules of carbon dioxide to produce one molecule of glucose, so deforestation contributes to the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Carbon can occupy different trophic levels along the food chains and returns to the abiotic environment through the breathing of living beings, in the form of CO2, and also through the decomposition of excreted substances and organisms that have died.

Burning fuels such as coal, firewood and petroleum products, such as gasoline, also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Some of the carbon does not return to the cycle, as it enters the composition of bones and shells, constituting the carbonates that decomposers are unable to modify. The assimilation and return of carbon to the abiotic environment are directly related to the energy flow of ecosystems. We can see from this that all cycles are related, to keep the biosphere in balance.

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