Transcript Nutrient Cycles

Cycling of Matter
Cycling of Matter
 Water, Carbon, Oxygen,
and Nitrogen are four of
the most important
substances for life.
 An ecosystem must be
able to cycle these in
order to support life.
 Cross out the ***
portions of your notes.
Water Cycle
 Life cannot exist without
the water cycle.
 The water cycle
continuously moves
water between the
atmosphere, the land
and the oceans.
 It all starts with the
condensation of water
from water vapor.
Condensation=the
formation of water droplets
from water vapor
Water Cycle
Water Cycle Terms to Know
 Precipitation- water
returning to the surface
of the earth in the form
of rain, snow, fog, or hail
 Percolation- some of
the water that falls to the
earth moves into the soil
and becomes
groundwater.
Groundwater
 Groundwater is water
that is stored in aquifers
beneath Earth’s surface.
 As it percolates through
the soil, impurities and
pollutants are mostly
filtered out.
 Groundwater can be
accessed with wells.
Runoff into rivers, lakes, oceans
 The surface water that doesn’t percolate into the soil
runs off into rivers, lakes, and eventually oceans.
The Amazon
River
Evaporation
 Water is heated by the sun and re-enters the
atmosphere by evaporation (the process by which
liquid water turns into water vapor)
Transpiration
 Water also evaporates from trees and plants in a
process called transpiration.
Over 10% of Earth’s clouds form
from this type of water evaporation.
This process cools the leaves and
draws water up from the roots.
Water Cycle Song
On your own
 Work on creating pictures of each of the steps in the
water cycle.
 They must be colorful and easy for you to understand.
 I have colored pencils, markers, etc.
 I want to see a process, not lines going crazy directions.
Carbon & Oxygen Cycle
 Carbon and oxygen are critical for life on Earth, and
their cycles are tied closely together.
 The Carbon Cycle is the continuous movement of
carbon from the nonliving environment into living
things and back.
CarbonCycle
Photosynthesis
 Photosynthesis-the
process by which energy
from light is converted
into chemical energy in
the form of organic
compounds
 Formula:
 6CO2 + 6 H2O + light →
C6H12O6 + 6O2
Note that in the process of
building carbohydrates (stored
energy), plants release oxygen
into the air.
Respiration
 Carbohydrates made by
plants contain stored
energy.
 Respiration=the
process by which
organisms use oxygen to
break down the
carbohydrates and
release stored energy.
Formula for Respiration:
C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 +
6H2O + Cell Energy
Note: Breathing is required for most
organisms to get the energy from
food!
Combustion
 Carbon is also released
into the atmosphere in
the process of
combustion.
 Combustion is the
burning of a substance.
 All living things are
made of carbon and
when burned, they
release carbon dioxide.
Burning of Fossil Fuels
 Fossil fuels are formed
from the remains of dead
plants and animals.
 When they are burned,
CO2 is released into the
atmosphere.
 Humans burn fossil fuels
to generate electricity
and to power vehicles.
 Examples: coal and oil
Death and Decomposition
 When organisms die, the
carbon in their bodies is
recycled by decomposers.
 Examples of decomposers
are bacteria and fungi.
 Without these organisms,
there would be no new life
and we would be buried in
Decomposition=process of
dead things!
breaking down organic
materials and returning
nutrients to the environment
Carbon Cycle and increased
CO2
Video
Carbon Dioxide and Corals
 Question: Will increased levels of carbon dioxide make
the ocean more acidic, more basic, or have no effect?
What will the change in pH do to coral reefs and other
organisms? Is this a biotic factor or abiotic factor?
 Research/Previous Knowledge:
 Carbon dioxide: green house gas, colorless, produced naturally via decay and
combustion
 Acid: substance that increases the H+ (hydrogen ion) concentration in a solution
 Base: substance that increases the OH- (hydroxide ion) concentration in a solution
 Coral: Corals are tiny organisms that make their own skeletons. Over time these
become coral reefs which offer habitat for fish and other sea creatures
 Hypothesis: What will happen to the bromethyl blue
(pH of 7; pH indicator) when we put carbon dioxide
into the solution?
 (Write your hypothesis under decomposition)
 Will it turn pink or blue?
 I need 7 volunteers, please!
 Procedure:
 Pour bromethyl blue into beakers.
 7 volunteers grab their own straw
 Alternating students, use straw to blow carbon dioxide
into the pH indicator
 Collect observations based on the color the pH indicator
after a few minutes.
Red Cabbage – Acidic vs. Basic
 https://www.youtube.co
m/watch?v=ni3XRxwTv
WQ
 Results:
 What happened to the solution in the control Jar?
 What happened to the solution in the experimental jar?
 Has the pH changed in the experimental jar?
 Conclusion?
 What will the change in the pH of the ocean due to
corals? Is it only the corals that are effected? Why is it
important to protect corals?
 Effects on Coral reefs
Nitrogen Cycle
 All organisms require
Nitrogen.
 Nitrogen must be cycled
through an ecosystem so
it becomes available for
organisms to make
proteins and DNA.
 The atmosphere is about
78% Nitrogen, but most
organisms cannot use it
in that form!
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen Fixation
 A few bacteria have the
ability to break down
atmospheric nitrogen (N2)
and turn it into ammonia
(NH3).
 This process is called
nitrogen fixation.
 These bacteria mostly live
in the roots of certain
plants called legumes,
although some live in the
soil.
Plants that can fix nitrogen gas
include legumes such as beans and
alfalfa.
Assimilation
 Assimilation= the
process in which plants
absorb nitrogen.
 Plants build their
proteins & DNA with
this nitrogen.
 When animals eat
plants, they obtain the
nitrogen to build their
own bodies with.
Ammonification
 Ammonification=
nitrogen from animal
waste or decaying bodies
is returned to the soil.
 This is accomplished by
decomposing bacteria.
Nitrification/Denitrification
 Nitrification= ammonia
in the soil is converted
by bacteria to nitrite and
then is converted from
nitrite to nitrate.
 Denitrification=nitrate
is converted to N2—
atmospheric nitrogen.
This is also done by
Bacteria, Bacteria, Bacteria—
bacteria!
what would we do without
them?