 Essential for the production of:  Proteins, fats, carbohydrates  Make up all organisms  Cycle between plants and animals  Plants intake Carbon Dioxide  Animals respire Carbon Dioxide  Plants give off Oxygen  Animals intake Oxygen  Some carbon may get prolonged in its cycle when converted to carbonates or fossil fuels

 We affect it though  Fossil fuel burning 1/3 of all CO2 released by US is by cars Over all plants are only taking in ½ of CO2 that is released What does this do to the concentration?  Global Warming increases Overall increase of temperature of the Earth

Air Plants Burning Animals Respiration Photosynthesis Soil

 All organisms need nitrogen to build proteins  Essential for muscle building  Makes up 78% of the gases in our atmosphere  However it has to be altered for us or plants to use it Nitrogen Fixation: certain bacteria changing nitrogen into usable forms Ex.) Ammonia & Ammonium Occur naturally in legumes (What are they?)  Decomposers help recycle these nutrients by putting them back into the soil

Air Plants Denitrifying bacteria Animals Nitrogen fixing bacteria Soil

 Essential element that helps build molecules in the cell  Ex.) Enamel in teeth  Very slow cycle and does not normally occur in the atmosphere  Can enter the soil when rocks are weathered and eroded away  Leeched back into the soil  Many sink to the bottom of lakes or oceans because they are not soluble in water

Plants Soil Animals Ocean Rocks

 When excess nitrogen and phosphorous enter water ways  Causes rapid and abundant growth in algae  Ex.) Algal blooms in Minneapolis  Kills fish and ruins aesthetic value and beauty

 The change in an ecosystem when 1 community replaces the other (Ecological Succession)  Gradual process (100-1,000’s of yrs)  2 types:  1.) Primary  2.) Secondary

 1.) Primary: the establishment of a community in an area where there was no topsoil help develop soils (lichens, fungus) lead to climax community (stable, mature community with little change)  2.) Secondary Succession: predictable pattern of change that occurs after community has been removed but soil remains Ex.) Fire, flood, tornado Pioneer species do well here (First organisms to appear in a disturbed area)-Tamarack Ex.) Mt. St. Helens-44,600 acres destroyed

 Old-Field Succession:  Form of secondary succession  Farmer quits plowing the field Grasses  tall grasses  shrubs  trees  oak/maple  Primary Succession is super slow…slow…slow  Takes so long do to the lack of topsoil  Where would this occur? Bacteria and Lichen are the first to inhabit an area like this This can help break down rock and lead to the production of mosses which will die and help lead to soil production