Story #1: Nitrogen

Breathe in, and breathe out. Most of what you just inhaled was nitrogen, aka me! My name is Nala the nitrogen atom. My nitrogen friends and I live mostly in the atmosphere, except for when I go through my cycle. Compared to the other nutrient cycles, mine is kind of complicated. When I transform, a special type of bacteria has to change me to a more usable form. For example, when I go from atmosphere to plant, the bacteria has to take me in and produce ammonium so that the plant can actually use me. But let’s not get too much into the details…

Right now, I’m in the soil. I love it so much here… But unfortunately, I have to keep moving. Otherwise, everything will go out of balance. All living things need me in order to make amino acids, proteins and DNA.  Oh, look at that! A plant is growing from my soil! (Transformation #1: soil -> plant) Woah! Is it me or did a deer just eat the plant? (Transformation #2: plant -> animal)

It’s been a long time since the deer ate me, and sadly, it died. But it’s okay, because this marks the beginning of the next phase of my cycle. With the help of decomposers, I’ll be back in the soil in no time (transformation #3: plant -> soil). Hey, it looks like there’s a stream nearby… Weeeee! I’ve been brought to the ocean! (Transformation #4: soil -> ocean) Now that I’m here, I can be turned into a form that will allow me to move on to the atmosphere, which is my favourite place (transformation #5: ocean -> atmosphere). Am I ever grateful for bacteria!

Story #2: Carbon

Can you guess what I am? I’ll give you a few hints:

1. I’m part of the ocean, air and rocks
2. I’m always on the move
3. Plants use a compound (me & oxygen) and sunlight to make their own food and grow
4. When I’m in the atmosphere I’m bonded with 2 oxygen atoms

If you guessed carbon, you got it right! I’m Callie. Callie the carbon atom. But do you know what my cycle is? I’ve only gone through it once, but I can probably teach you a few things. This is the story of my very first cycle.

Once, when I was a young atom, I was absorbed by a dandelion along with my 2 oxygen friends (transformation #1: atmosphere -> plant). By default, we knew what to do: help the plant photosynthesize. So, we joined forces with water and sunlight and created food for it. But it didn’t really matter, because a rabbit had gobbled us up! (Transformation #2: plant -> animal) We were stuck inside of it for a very long time. It felt like years! One day, the rabbit died of old age. Poor rabbit. I was starting to feel attached to him.

Within a few weeks, the rabbit had fully decomposed thanks to our decomposer friends, and we were returned to the soil (transformation #3: animal -> soil). Man, I don’t know what we would do without them! Anyway, a few days later, there was a huge rain storm and we were washed away to the ocean (transformation #4: soil -> ocean). We floated around for a long time, but I didn’t mind it. I was able to see all kinds of marine life that I never would have seen from inside the rabbit. Eventually, we had sunken to the ocean floor. There, we where we slowly turned into solid rock along with some other sediments through a process called cementing (transformation #5: ocean -> sediment). I’m still in the process of becoming rock. I’ve heard that it can take millions of years… Oh well. I’ll just have to wait until then.

Story #3: Phosphorus

Hi there! I’m Pricilla, the phosphorus atom. I’m a very important element for all forms of life, as many organisms use the energy I release to build proteins or contract their muscles. In the human body, I’m mostly found in teeth and bones.

Just like the other nutrients, I have a cycle to follow. But I’m a little different: mine doesn’t include a gas phase, which means that I’m never in the atmosphere.

My cycle starts out in sediment, which is one of the largest reservoirs of phosphorus. It can sometimes take a while, but as time goes by, I eventually become solid rock through cementing (transfromation #1: sediment -> rock).  Next, I get brought up to the surface via geologic uplift, which could mean either earthquakes or mountain building. Once I’m on solid ground, I get washed away from the rock (Transformation #2: rock -> sediment) and end up in the soil (Transformation #3: sediment -> soil). After that, I get taken up by plants (Transformation #4: soil -> organism). From there, many things can happen: a herbivore might eat the plant I’m in, and that herbivore could then be consumed by a carnivore. Either way, I return to the soil with the help of my friends (the decomposers) when the organism dies. (Transformation #5: organism -> soil). From there, I can make my way into a stream and back to the ocean to conclude the cycle!