Biogeochemical Cycle

Real World Example

Imagine trying to keep track of a single dollar bill as it moves through various transactions in a busy city. Just like that dollar bill, a chemical in a biogeochemical cycle moves through different parts of an ecosystem, both living and nonliving. In this analogy, the dollar bill represents the chemical, the people and shops it passes through are like the plants, animals, and soil in the ecosystem, and the city itself is the entire ecosystem where these exchanges take place.