section_path: Nutrients/Nutrient cycle
section_name: Nutrient cycle
paragraph_text: Nutrient cycle
  
  A nutrient cycle is a biogeochemical cycle involving the movement of inorganic matter through a combination of soil, organisms, air or water, where they are exchanged in organic matter. Energy flow is a unidirectional and noncyclic pathway, whereas the movement of mineral nutrients is cyclic. Mineral cycles include the carbon cycle, sulfur cycle, nitrogen cycle, water cycle, phosphorus cycle, and oxygen cycle, among others that continually recycle along with other mineral nutrients into productive ecological nutrition.
  
  Biogeochemical cycles that are performed by living organisms and natural processes are water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur cycles. Nutrient cycles allow these essential elements to return to the environment after being absorbed or consumed. Without proper nutrient cycling, there would be risk of change in oxygen levels, climate, and ecosystem function.