Transcript The Carbon Cycle

The Carbon Cycle
Carbon is an element found in all living things.
Four ways carbon is recycled is described here.
1. The oxygen cycle can be thought of having
two sides or parts. One is photosynthesis
during which green plants take in carbon
dioxide and water and give off oxygen as
waste.
and the other is respiration which uses
oxygen and give off carbon dioxide and
water as waste.
Carbon Dioxide – Oxygen Cycle
Oxygen
Sugar
Water
Water
Carbon Dioxide
The Carbon Cycle
2. Carbon is also stored in dead
organisms. Bacteria and fungi
decompose dead organisms and help
return carbon to the atmosphere.
3. Additionally, carbon can be trapped in
fossils and limestone deposits for
millions of years. It is slowly released
through the process of weathering.
The Carbon Cycle
4. Fossil fuels also store carbon for long
periods of time. The carbon atoms are
only released when these fuels are
burned.
Abiotic factors- nonliving things in an
environment such as water, light, soil and
temperature
Biotic factors- living things
Abiotic factors help to determine what plants
and animals can live in a certain environment.
The Water Cycle
Precipitation
Water falls from the sky
Condensation
Condensation
Water turns from gas
(vapor) to liquid
Transpiration
water evaporates from plants
Evaporation
liquid water becomes
water vapor (gas)
Runoff
Respiration
Animals release
water vapor
Accumulation
•Good News: Air is 78% nitrogen.
•Bad News: Organisms cannot use pure nitrogen.
Lightning also fixes
nitrogen by combining
it with oxygen. It then
falls down with rain in
a usable form.
•How is the problem “fixed”? It must be combined with other elements into a usable form.
Blue Arrows –
Usable nitrogen
Red Arrows –
Unusable free
nitrogen
Denitrifying bacteria
Break down nitrogen
compounds in the soil
and release back into
the air
Decomposer bacteria
Break down nitrogen
compounds in waste and
dead organisms so it can
be returned to the soil
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Combine nitrogen with
other elements to make it
usable by organisms