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Nutrient Cycle Facts & Worksheets

The nutrient cycle describes the movement of nutrients from nonliving material to living organisms and back again to facilitate life on Earth.

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Have you ever wondered how living and nonliving organisms are connected with one another? Well, non-living and living organisms work together to ensure that the supply of nutrients is sufficient for the present and future generations. This is called the nutrient cycle.

See the fact file below for more information on the Nutrient Cycle or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Nutrient Cycle worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

WHAT IS A NUTRIENT CYCLE?

  • Unlike the energy from the Sun, essential elements such as oxygen, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen do not have an extraterrestrial source. Thus, these elements must continuously be recycled. 
  • The cycling of these essential elements or nutrients is known as the nutrient cycle. The nutrient cycle is a cyclic pathway wherein nutrients move through the environment, to an organism, then back to the environment.
  • This never-ending cycle involves living, geological forces, and chemical reactions. Thus, it is also called a biogeochemical cycle.

TYPES OF NUTRIENT CYCLES

  • There are two main types of nutrient cycles: global and local.
  • Elements that are harvested mainly in the atmosphere are on a global scale. Elements such as carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen are recycled through the atmosphere, water, and soil.
  • Meanwhile, elements that are mainly harvested in the soil are of local scale. Elements like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium are mainly recycled through the soil.
  • In this section, we will be focusing on the nutrient cycles happening on a global scale.

THE CARBON CYCLE

  • Carbon is found in all living organisms and in all organic compounds, especially those that provide us with energy. Thus, this element is essential to us, humans, and all other living organisms. The primary reservoir of carbon is the substance carbon dioxide.
  • This substance is found in the atmosphere and water. Aside from carbon dioxide, methane is also a good source of carbon. These two compounds are also known as greenhouse gases.
  • Carbon dioxide and methane are harmful to most living things. Thus, to make use of this carbon reservoir, photosynthesis must take place.
  • Respiration, on the other hand, is a process that returns carbon to the atmosphere.
  • Carbon is cycled between biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem. The movement of carbon in biotic components is known as a fast carbon cycle while movement in abiotic components is known as a slow carbon cycle.

Steps of the Carbon Cycle

  • Photosynthetic organisms such as plants and plankton take in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and bodies of water. They will use carbon dioxide to manufacture sugar molecules through the process of photosynthesis.
  • Consumers, or animals, will then feed on the photosynthetic organisms to acquire these sugar molecules. This will help animals and other types of consumers to gain energy.
  • The carbon taken in by the animals will return through the process of respiration. However, if the carbon became a structural part of the animal’s body, it will return through decomposition which will take place after the animal’s death.
  • Through respiration and decomposition, carbon dioxide will once again return to the atmosphere.
  • The carbon stored from an organism may become sediment which will then turn into rocks or minerals. These rocks or minerals are known as coal. Carbon stored in coals will be released back to the atmosphere only when burned. 

Oxygen Cycle

  • Oxygen, like carbon, is very important to living organisms, especially to aerobic organisms. Aerobic organisms are organisms that survive and grow in oxygenated environments.
  • The oxygen cycle is closely tied with the carbon cycle. As plants and other photosynthetic organisms use carbon dioxide to create organic compounds, oxygen gas (O2) is released as a waste product.
  • Oxygen makes up 21% of the Earth’s atmosphere. Aerobic organisms will take in oxygen gas to fuel their metabolic processes.
  • Through the process of photosynthesis, oxygen in the atmosphere will be replenished.

NITROGEN CYCLE

  • 78% of the Earth’s atmosphere is nitrogen gas which makes it the most abundant gas in the atmosphere. Despite this amount, nitrogen gas cannot be used by living organisms.
  • Through the nitrogen cycle, nitrogen gas in the atmosphere is fixated into usable forms. The nitrogen cycle allows nitrogen gas from the atmosphere to be incorporated into all living organisms’ bodies as amino acids, peptides, and proteins.
  • As nitrogen cycles from living to nonliving things, and vice versa, it changes into different forms.

Steps of the Nitrogen Cycle

  • NITROGEN FIXATION: The nitrogen gas in the atmosphere will move into the soil but won’t be absorbed by the roots of plants. Due to this, nitrogen gas (N2) must first be fixed into usable forms such as ammonia. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria can help fix N2 into ammonia that can be absorbed by plants.
  • Aside from nitrogen-fixing bacteria, lightning can also provide the energy needed for N2 to react with oxygen, producing nitrates and nitrites that are absorbable and needed by plants.
  • NITROGEN ASSIMILATION: The nitrates and ammonia made by the nitrogen-fixing bacteria will be taken in by the plants. These will become the plant’s proteins, and nucleic acids. Other organisms that rely on plants for food and energy will acquire these substances by feeding on plants or other organisms that have acquired the substances mentioned.
  • AMMONIFICATION: When organisms die, their bodies will decompose. As decomposition takes place, the nitrogen from tissues of dead organisms is converted back into ammonia. Decomposers, also known as saprophytes, carry out this process. 
  • NITRIFICATION: Ammonia with the help of nitrifying bacteria will be converted into nitrates and nitrites in the process known as nitrification. Nitrates and nitrites can once again be absorbed by plants and assimilated into their bodies.
  • DENITRIFICATION: To return nitrogen gas to the atmosphere, denitrification is an essential step in the nitrogen cycle. Denitrifying bacteria make use of nitrates to obtain oxygen, and as a result, oxygen and nitrogen gas get separated. This releases nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere. 

The Water Cycle

  • Water, just like the elements and substances mentioned above, is important for all life on Earth. Water is a unique substance that can exist in three different states of matter- solid, liquid, and gas. Due to this property, water can cycle from abiotic to biotic components of the ecosystem, and vice versa.
  • Sun is the driving force of the water cycle. Sun’s energy will heat up the water in the hydrosphere. This will result in the formation of water vapor.
  • When there’s a sufficient amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, it will condense to form clouds.
  • Cloud and moisture combined will allow precipitation to take place, this returns water in the atmosphere to the oceans and continents. 
  • The precipitation will allow water to seep through the soil and be absorbed by plants, or to flow through streams returning them to the ocean.

Importance of Nutrient Cycles

  • The elements and substances mentioned above are all important to all living organisms. Our cells and tissues are made up of substances that are formed with carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and even phosphorus and sulfur.
  • Without nutrient cycling, these elements will not be available for our use, and for future generations’ use.
  • Nutrient cycling allows the elements mentioned above to be converted into forms that are usable for all life on Earth. Take nitrogen as an example, even if it is abundant in the atmosphere, it cannot be used as it is by plants and animals.
  • Nutrient cycling also allows these elements and nutrients to be accessible to all living organisms. Through nutrient cycles, elements and nutrients found in the atmosphere are transferred to soil and incorporated into plants which serve as food for most living organisms. 
  • Lastly, through the different nutrient cycles, elements and nutrients can be stored in their natural reservoirs for future use. This also maintains the equilibrium in the ecosystem.

Nutrient Cycle Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the Nutrient Cycle across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about the Nutrient Cycle, which is the process between living and nonliving things using minerals and nutrients that are vital for life on earth.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  • Nutrient Cycles Fact File
  • Word Search
  • Cycling of Facts
  • Fact Check
  • The Water Cycle
  • The Nitrogen Cycle
  • The Carbon and Oxygen Cycle
  • On A Global Scale
  • Climate And Nutrients
  • Life-Sustaining Cycles
  • Science News

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a nutrient cycle?

A nutrient cycle is the exchange or movement of organic and/or inorganic matter back into the production of matter. This occurs as plants and animals consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are released back into the environment via decomposition or death.

Why do we need nutrient cycles?

Nutrient cycles are important because they allow for the storage of elements. In a nutrient cycle, elements remain stored in a natural reservoir, and they are only released to different organisms in an appropriate quantity when required.

What are the main nutrient cycles?

There are five main nutrient cycles. These are the Carbon cycle, the Oxygen cycle, the Water cycle, the Phosphorus cycle, and the Sulfur cycle.

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Link will appear as Nutrient Cycle Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, July 27, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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