Transcript Week 17- Biogeochemical Cycles

Monday, December 8th, 2014
Pg. 82 RTW: Break apart the word
“biogeochemical”. What definition can you
make for biogeochemical cycle?
Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain
the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem.
Agenda:
• Read pg. 6-23 to 6-28
• Draw the different cycles (on pg. 83)
Homework:
• Study for quiz on Friday
Tuesday, December 9th, 2014
Pg. 82 RTW: What element is
fundamental to all life?
Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain
the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem.
Agenda:
• Carbon Cycle Game
Homework:
• None 
Wednesday, December 10th, 2014
Pg. 82 RTW: How is carbon released
into the atmosphere?
Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain
the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem.
Agenda:
• Biogeochemical cycle notes (pg. 85)
• STAR pg.
Homework:
• Study for quiz on Friday
Biogeochemical Cycles
• The continuous flow of elements &
compounds between organisms & the earth
• Nutrients- inorganic substances that
organisms require to live
• Organic substances break down through
decomposition leaving behind inorganic
substances eventually brought to surface by
upwelling.
Carbon Cycle (CO2 is a greenhouse gas)
• Fundamental element (carbon is in all living things)
• Carbon forms the basis for chemical energy and for
building tissues.
• Carbon dioxide gas dissolves into the ocean (a CO2
storage tank)
• Decomposition of organisms releases it
• Calcium carbonate
• Much is concentrated in the deep sea
• Major contributor to global warming
• On your own: List how CO2 is released into the
atmosphere
Nitrogen Cycle
• Required by organisms for proteins ,
chlorophyll, and nucleic acids.
• Must be converted to a usable form by bacteria
• AmmoniaNitratesNitritesNitrogen gas
Phosphorus Cycle
• Used in the ATP/ADP cycle (Energy)
• Part of DNA
• Makes up bones & teeth when combined with
calcium carbonate
• Fertilizer
Silicon in the Marine Environment
• Silicon exists as silicon dioxide aka silica.
• Used by diatoms and radiolarians (types of
plankton) to build shells and skeletons.
• Most sand is silica due to is abundance in
rocks and resistance to being broken down
completely.
S.T.A.R (Answer on pg. 83)
1. How is carbon released into the atmosphere?
2. Which gas needs to be converted by bacteria before
we can use it?
3. How do organisms use nitrogen?
4. Why is phosphorous essential to life?
5. Why is Silicon is important to some marine
organisms?
Thursday, December 11th, 2014
Pg. 82 RTW: Which gas needs to
converted before humans can use it?
Objective: I will be able to identify toxic substances
that accumulate in aquatic systems, such as
ammonia, nitrates, etc.
Agenda:
• Revisit eutrophication (Notes pg. 85/87)
Homework:
• Study for quiz on tomorrow
Chesapeake Bay
The
Chesapeake
Bay
Watershed
Largest estuary in the United States
• Fishing Industry of:
Blue Crab
Oysters
Striped Bass
Clams
• No other American estuary
has a higher yield
The Bay Is Not Healthy
Nutrient Pollution Causes Algal
Blooms and Fish Kills
Nutrients, Algae and Fish Kills
• In normal ecosystem low nutrient levels keep algae in
check
• Adding nutrients causes algal blooms
• Algae die and become detritus (decaying matter)
• Detritus is decomposed by microbes, microbe populations
boom.
• Microbes use the oxygen in the water
• Low dissolved oxygen in the water kills fish and other
organisms
• Dead zones appear in the bay where nothing can live
Fish kill caused by nutrient
build-up, Nanticoke River,
Chesapeake Bay, 1992
What causes the excess nutrients?
Rivers and tributaries are bringing the
nutrients to the Chesapeake Bay:
• Sewage
Factory farms
discharge 650
• Farming
million lbs of
chicken manure
each year
Have people played
a role in changing
the ecosystem to
make it more
vulnerable to algal
blooms and dead
zones?
Friday, December 12th, 2014
Pg. 82 RTW: What is the downward
movement of water through soils called?
Objective: I will be able to diagram and explain
the biogeochemical cycles of an ecosystem.
Agenda:
• Quiz- biogeochemical cycles
• Review Quizzes
Homework:
• None 