BackgroundInformation

EcologicalCycling
Anecosystemisacombinationofbothnumerousbioticandabioticfactorsworkingtogetherina
system.Withinthisecosystem,numerousconceptscomeintoplay.Themostimportantofthese
factorsarehowenergyandmatterareused.Inanecosystem,energyisnotreusableenergy
flowsoutofthesystem.Matter,ontheotherhand,isrecyclable.

Tostart,therearefourmaincyclesthatregulatetheecosystem:thewatercycle,thecarboncycle,
thephosphoruscycle,andthenitrogencycle.

Alloflifedependsonwater,notonlyduetothewateritself,butalsoduetothechemicalsitmay
contrina.Wateractsasatransportvehiclefornumerousotherimportantbiologicalmolecules.
Thecyclepicturedaboveiswhatdeterminestheavailabilityofthismostessentialresource.
Waterismostlyusedbylifeasaliquid,butitsotherformsareveryimportantaswellicecan
limitorganismsmobilityandcancutoffplantsfromobtainingvitalresources.

Inanecosystem,alargeamountofwaterislostduetoevapotranspiration.Therefore,inmost
cases,asteadywatersupplyisneededtomakeanecosystemsuccessful.

Inadditiontothewatercycle,thereisthenitrogencycle:

Thiscomplexcycleextensivelyalterstheformofnitrogenintheenvironment.Ofallthese
differentcompounds,however,mostcanonlyuseitifitisinnitrateformofNO3orammonium
formofNH+.Thismeansthatthecyclemustbemaintainedinordertoprovidenitrogento
organismsinausableform.

TheothercyclethatisveryimportanttotheEcoColumnisthePhosphorusCycle:

Phosphorusisatraceelementinorganisms,buttoomuchofitcaneasilymaketheecosystem
unviable.ThechallengeofanEcoColumnisnotsimplyprovidingthenutrients,butmakingsure
toavoideutrophication.Anecosystemhasarelativelynarrowrangeoftolerance.Tomakean
ecosystemsuccessful,itmustbeinthatGoldilocksregion.

EnergyAllocation

Trophicefficiencyalsoplaysalargepartintheecosystem.Becausesmallerandsmalleramounts
ofenergycanbeobtainedfromprecedingtrophiclevels,averylargeautotrophicbaseisneeded.
Fromthere,itbecomesgraduallymoredifficulttosupporthigherformsoflifeasmorebiomass
isneededtosupportthemthanlowerlevelorganisms.Theapproximateportionofpossible
energytransferbetweenlevelsisknownasthe10%rule.

HumansImpactonEcosystems

Humanshaveaprodigiouseffectonecosystemsandtheenvironmentasawhole.Thegreatest
wayinwhichtheseimpactsaffectnatureisthroughhabitatdestruction.Commonformofhabitat
destructionarechemicalalterationsofecosystemsviapollution.Oftentimeslargefertilizations
runoffofsoilintostreamsthatdepositthesechemicalsinlargerbodiesofwaterandeventhe
soilsofterrestrialhabitats.Thiscreatesanexcessofthesenutrientswhichispotentiallylethal.
Anotherimportantimpactisacidrain,*whichfindsitssourceinthereleaseofchemicalstheair
fromfactories.Airpollutionallowspollutantstolargedistancesembeddedinclouds,resultingin
unusuallyacidicwater.ThesesignificantpHchangescanhaveaprofoundimpactonany
ecosystem.

Bioremediation

Bioremediationusesprokaryotes,plants,orfungitoremovetoxinsfromanecosystem.
BiologicalAugmentationistheuseoforganismstoaddessentialmaterialstoanecosystem.
Yeastsarefungaleukaryoticorganismsthatareknownfortheiruseinbrewing.Theirusefulness
inthisactivityisduetotheirabilitytousefermentationextensively.Wideapplicationsforthem
havebeenfoundinthefieldofbioremediationastheyhavesuccessfullybrokendownnumerous
compoundsfromTNTtoeffluentsandavarietyofhydrocarbons.

Imagecredit:USGS(UnitedStatesGeologicalSurvey)seeReferencestabfordetails.