Nutrient cycles are natural processes that recycle essential elements and compounds in the environment. These cycles ensure that nutrients like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are continuously reused by living organisms. For example, plants absorb these nutrients from the soil, and when they die, decomposers break them down, returning the nutrients to the soil for new plants to use. Each nutrient cycle has specific pathways. The carbon cycle involves the movement of carbon through the atmosphere, plants, animals, and soil. The nitrogen cycle includes processes like nitrogen fixation, where bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into forms usable by plants. These cycles are vital for maintaining ecosystem health.