Ch 3.3: Cycles of Matter Do Now How many times have you had to change your plans because of rain? It probably didn’t help if someone tried to cheer you up by saying, “But we really need the rain.” However, rain is important. If it didn’t rain, how would living things on land get water? Go to Section: When rain falls on the ground, it either soaks into the soil or runs across the surface of the soil. When rainwater runs across the land, what body of water might collect the rain? From here, where might the water flow? After the rain, the sun comes out and the land dries. Where does the water that had been on the land go? Discuss all the places a molecule of water might go. Begin with a raindrop and end with a cloud.

What do we need to survive? Energy Water Minerals Nutrients

How do we get the elements we need for survival? We must obtain these nutrients from our environment in a form we can use! Most of the C, N, P we need is in forms unusable to humans!!!

Recycling in the Biosphere Remember: Energy flow is in one direction through the biosphere Matter is recycled within and between ecosystems, traveling in many directions

What are biogeochemical cycles? How Elements, chemicals, and other forms of matter pass between organisms and parts of the biospheres through Matter can cycle through the biosphere because biological systems don’t use up matter, they transform it Constant recycling!!!!!!!!

Water Cycle Activity…

The Water Cycle (Hydrologic Cycle)

The continuous circulation of water through the hydrosphere as solid, liquid, or gas The Process evaporate 1.Radiation from sun causes water to evaporate from lakes, streams, and oceans. Water from liquid to gas

condensing 2. Water vapor rises, cooling and condensing into clouds precipitation 4. Water droplets combine into larger drops that get too heavy fall as precipitation (rain, snow)

5. Some precipitation stored as glaciers (locked up) runoff 6. If the rain flows over the ground into water it is called runoff and flows back into streams, rivers, oceans groundwater 6. If the rain soaks into the ground (infiltrates) via permeable rock (aquifers) and stored as groundwater and will seep back into ocean.

7. Some water on land evaporates again via transpiration in plants Evapotranspiration(Evapotranspiration -rapid cycling of water due to evaporation and transpiration) Water is never created nor destroyed…only altered Naturally purified, natural renewal of water quality

How do humans affect the water cycle?

Water Cycle Water Cycle Animation Thirstin's Water Cycle

How are nutrients cycled biogeochemically? Nutrients = chemical substances that an organism requires to live Every living organism needs nutrients to grow and carry out essential life functions. Nutrients pass between organisms and the environment through biogeochemical cycles & are continually recycled

What cycles are we going to learn? Three important nutrient cycles: –Carbon cycle –Nitrogen cycle –Phosphorus cycle

Quick Activity Independently read about one cycle in each assigned group Teach new group about your cycle Discuss each cycle as a class

CO 2 in Atmosphere CO 2 in Ocean The Carbon Cycle Go to Section:

Carbon Cycle Animation-Into

Why is carbon important to humans? Building block of carbohydrates, proteins, DNA and other organic materials

What are some ways carbon is used in the ecosystem?

How does Carbon enter the system?

1. Aerobic respiration C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6O 2 --> 6H 2 O + 6CO 2 + ATP 2. Decaying and burning of organic materials 3. Volcanic eruptions 4. Diffusion out of the oceans 5. Burning fossil fuels

How is Carbon removed? Photosynthesis –6 CO H 2 O → C 6 H 12 O O H 2 O Phytoplankton Decomposers Dissolves in the ocean Converted to calcium carbonate (lime) the major component of shells so marine organisms the largest store of C

Why is carbon important to the atmosphere? Balancing global temperatures (CO 2 ) Too much CO 2 or adding CO 2  Increases temps Decreasing CO 2  Decreasing temps

Carbon as a biogeochemical cycle Biological processes (photosynthesis/respiration) Geochemical processes (volcanoes releasing CO 2 ) Biogeochemical processes (organisms buried converts into coal/fossil fuels) Human activities (mining/burning fossil fuels/cutting trees)

How is Carbon related to the greenhouse effect?

Phosphorus Cycle

Why do we need Phosphorous? To make RNA, DNA

Phosphorus Cycle Animation-Intro

Where is Phosphorous stored? Inorganic form = rocks, soil, ocean sediments Phosphate is released when these sediments are weathered (broken down) Plants use the phosphates and it is recycled throughout the system

How do humans effect the P cycle? Use phosphate in fertilizers –Runoff stimulates algae growth Remove phosphorous by clearing forests

Why do we need Nitrogen? To make amino acids, which build proteins

Where is most of the nitrogen in the ecosystem? Nitrogen gas is 78% of Earth’s atmosphere

What are the different forms of nitrogen? Ammonia (NH 3 ), nitrate ions (NO 3 - ) and nitrite ions (NO 2 - ) are found in wastes products and dead/decaying organic matter

We can’t use nitrogen in these forms…so how do we get our Nitrogen???? Ammonia (NH 3 )

1. Convert atmospheric nitrogen NITROGEN FIXATION IN THE SOIL –Uses N2 to make ammonia Nitrogen fixing bacteria can often be found in nodules on the roots of certain plants called legumes. Clover, alfalfa, and many bean plants are legumes. Cyanobacteria (aka blue green algae)

2. Convert again & again… Some bacteria use the ammonia to make nitrates and nitrites These nitrates and nitrites are taken up by plants or consumed by animals When these organisms die, decomposers return ammonia to the soil

How is the nitrogen returned to the atmosphere? DENITIFICATION converting nitrates into nitrogen gas

How are humans impacting the Nitrogen cycle? 1. Burn fossil fuels releasing nitrogen gases into the atmosphere

2. Increased livestock waste & inorganic fertilizer use (nitrate runoff into the aquatic environment) 3. Sewage runoff

N 2 in Atmosphere NH 3 NO 3 - and NO 2 - The Nitrogen Cycle Go to Section:

Nutrient Limitation Ecologists study the primary productivity of ecosystems = rate at which organic matter is created by producers The amount of available nutrients is one factor that controls the primary productivity

When a nutrient is in short supply, it can limit an organism’s/ecosystem’s growth, because the nutrient is scarce or cycles slowly = limiting nutrient –Oceans/water bodies are considers nutrient- poor environments when compared to land Algal blooms can result when nutrient-rich runoff from the land enters aquatic ecosystems, and there’s an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers. If there are not enough consumers in the ecosystem to eat the excess algae, the conditions can upset the ecosystem

Exit Ticket How does energy move through an ecosystem? How do nutrients move through an ecosystem? Compare their movements