The nutrient cycle is a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment. This occurs as animals and plants consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are then released back into the environment via death and decomposition. The cyclic flow of nutrients within an ecosystem is called as the biogeochemical cycle. A continuous transfer of nutrients which are necessary for the growth of organisms occurs from abiotic to biotic factors and biotic to abiotic factors in an ecosystem.