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Nutrient cycling is the biogeochemical process of moving organic and inorganic through the environment. Nutrient cycles help soils and the life in soils receive their needed nutrients on a daily basis. Different types of nutrient cycling are vital to maintain a sustainable life for an ecosystem
History Vladimir Vernadsky was a geochemist and mineralogist from the Soviet Union. He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1943 for his popular hypothesis on the Biosphere with Eduward Suess’. Vernadsky was the scientist who coined the term biogeochemistry, which is the study of physical, geological, chemical, and biological processes that govern the natural environment and the is the backbone of nutrient cycling. Many papers over the years used variations in the term.
In simple terms, there are 3 different types of processes that take place within a typical terrestrial nutrient cycle; Litter, biomass, and soil. These three processes can be broken down into smaller scales and intertwine with each other.
Litter Litter is the process of naturally occurring matter falling into a system. For example, Trees shed their leaves in the fall and grow them back in the spring. These leaves can have useful nutrients that can transfer into the soil, giving soil some fertility. Those leaves reenter into a cycle where nutrients are passed into soil. Litter can also come from other places like precipitation. Precipitation enters into the litter system and can be passed into the soil or leave the cycle through surface runoff. Litter that stays in the nutrient cycle mostly comes from decomposition into soil
Soil
Nutrients enter the soil through various ways. Soil is good at retaining nutrients and passing them to organisms that live in the soil. The small pores in the soil help retain the nutrients. Although soil can hold nutrients well there are still some ways where organic or inorganic matter can leave the cycle. One example is through leaching. Leaching is the process of a soluble mineral or chemical being lost from the soil as it travels into groundwater. Gravity and other factors play into leeching and take away nutrients from the soil. As that happens, certain bedrocks can emit good nutrients upward back into the soil. This uptake can benefit the soil and can enrich it. Nutrients within the soil can leave into biomass through plant uptake.
Biomass
The biomass includes things like crops, animals, municipal waster, and agricultural residues. Nutrients enter the biomass through systems like precipitation and plant uptake.