Question

What do you mean by nutrient cycle?

Answer 1

Nutrients can be defined as the substance which is essential for the growth and development of living beings. They are present naturally in the environment.

Complete answer:
The nutrient cycle can be defined as the cycle in which there is movement or exchange of the inorganic and organic matter into the environment. The organic matter is converted into inorganic matter through the decomposing of living organisms, whereas living organisms take up the inorganic matter through various processes such as nitrogen fixation. There are many kinds of nutrient cycles such as water cycle, carbon cycle, oxygen cycle and nitrogen cycle.
Water cycle:
The water cycle is also known as the hydrological cycle. Water from the ocean, river, and lakes evaporated into the sky. Plants take the groundwater during photosynthesis and water is also released into the environment by plants during transpiration. The melting ice of glaciers releases water in the oceans or rivers. The water vapour in the atmosphere condensed to form the cloud. The clouds pour water through precipitation in the form of rain, snow, or hail. This water gets collected in the ground, river, oceans, and lakes.
Oxygen cycle:
The plant releases oxygen in the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. Plants take the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and convert into glucose, and release oxygen. This atmospheric oxygen is intake by other living organisms such as humans and animals through breathing in and releasing out carbon oxide, which is produced during cellular respiration in the body.

Note: The essential nutrients for the human body are carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, and proteins. These nutrients are made from carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. When a body decomposes, all the nutrients become part of the nutrient cycle.