The chemical elements of the terrestrial biosphere are carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur. 95% of the biosphere is made up of them.
It is known as the biosphere s the part of the planet where all the ecosystems and living organisms in the atmosphere are included.
The biosphere includes part of the troposphere, the hydrosphere (oceans, seas and continental waters); and the lithosphere, the outermost part of the earth's crust.
The climate on earth is determined by various causes, both internal and external, and these change over time.
Solar activity, the relative earth-sun movement (the eccentricity of the orbit changes every 100,000 years), the inclination of the Earth's axis (it changes every 41,000 years), are some external causes. Among the internal causes is the greenhouse effect.
The main chemical elements of the biosphere
Carbon
Vegetables produce organic matter and oxygen thanks to solar energy and photosynthesis. In return they take carbon dioxide. Organisms, when they breathe, capture oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
The calcareous shells, which contain carbon, when disintegrating become part of the oceans.
Seawater, being soluble, incorporates a quantity of carbon dioxide, and also releases a small quantity, similar to that of vegetables.
Most tissues are composed of carbon, a basic element for the production of carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids and proteins.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen forms a cycle of four basic processes.
-Fixation: nitrogen is transformed into ammonium, a form by which most organisms can capture it.
-Mineralization: is the transformation of ammonium into nitrogen by some bacteria.
-Nitrification: in the presence of oxygen, ammonium turns into nitrate.
-Desnitrification: it is the passage of nitrite and nitrate to nitrogen and nitrogen oxide. Most of the nitrogen is in the atmosphere. More than 78% of the air is made up of nitrogen.
It is an essential component of DNA, RNA and proteins.
Sulfur
Some microorganisms transform sulfur into amino acids and proteins, through assimilative reduction. By dissimilative reduction, they transform it into sulfur, which is released into the environment.
Vegetation on land and plankton in the sea release parts of sulfur in the form of gases into the atmosphere. It is when it becomes sulfate again and is swept up and deposited by the rains, even at long distances.
Sulfur is also part of proteins.
Oxygen
It is the essential element for the breathing of living beings. About a fifth of the air is oxygen. Living organisms consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
Photosynthetic elements, like the plant kingdom, consume carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen.
Oxygen exists in the form of diatomic molecules (O2), but it also exists in the triatomic form (O3), which is ozone. In the atmosphere it forms a barrier to ultraviolet rays.
Match
It is a fundamental element for all forms of life on earth. It has an influence on metabolic processes, such as the formation of skeletons. It is fundamental in DNA, RNA and in many enzymes.
Phospholipids are involved in the construction of cell membranes and in the marrow of bones.
Vertebrate bones and teeth are made of phosphorus minerals. The human body needs about 650 grams of phosphorus on average, while other organisms need higher concentrations.
References
- "How are the elements of the biosphere integrated to form living beings?" in Prezi (March 2015). Retrieved in October 2017 from Prezi at: prezi.com
- "The biosphere" in Monographs. Recovered in October 2017 from Monographs at: monografias.coml
- "What is the biosphere" by Escuelapedia. Recovered in October 2017 from Escuelapedia in: Escuelapedia.com
- Slideshare's "Biosphere and Climate". Recovered in October 2017 from Slideshare at: es.slideshare.net
- "Phosphorus in the living world" in Grupo Fosfatos Agrominerales. Retrieved in October 2017 from the Department of Geological Sciences of the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at: fosfatos.gl.fcen.uba.ar