Energy & Matter Energy is not the only thing that moves through the ecosystem. Atoms are never destroyed . . . only transformed. Take a deep breath. The atoms you just inhaled may have been inhaled by a dinosaur millions of years ago.

4 ATOMS Make Up 95% Of The Body In Most Organisms CARBON OXYGEN HYDROGEN NITROGEN The same molecules are passed around again and again within the biosphere in … BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES

Water Cycle = HYDROLOGIC CYCLE

Why Is Water Important? BUILDING BLOCKS OF CELLS PHOTOSYNTHESIS Makes up 60-70% of your body. Oxygen and Hydrogen are found in all the … carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids Hydrogen in H2O supplies protons (H+) & electrons for… BUILDING BLOCKS OF CELLS Water is found throughout the biosphere, and is probably the most important substance needed to sustain lifeforms. Humans can survive for many weeks without the energy obtained by eating food, however, we would only last a few days without water. Water is used to carry out the many important and complex chemical reactions that all lifeforms must perform in order to survive. Water carries nutrients to various parts of a lifeform and carries waste away from the different parts of a lifeform. Because water is so important, the most abundant substance in any organism is water. The water found within your body as you read this article has been used and re-used by organisms throughout the history of Earth. It is quite possible that there is water found in your body that was once inside of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, or inside of Julius Caesar. The process of water moving through the environment is referred to as the hydrologic cycle. PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Why Is Water Important? SOLVENT HOMEOSTASIS Water is a good … Many molecules dissolve in water so it provides a place for chemical reactions to happen. Water doesn’t change temperature easily so it helps with … HOMEOSTASIS

The evaporation of water from the surface of plant leaves … http://www.css.cornell.edu/faculty/hmv1/watrshed/Etrans.htm The evaporation of water from the surface of plant leaves … TRANSPIRATION The return of water to the surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet, hail… PRECIPITATION

Water Cycle

Carbon Cycle Carbon is an important element to living things. As we learned earlier, the most abundant substance in organisms is water. The second most abundant substance is carbon. Much of the solid portions of lifeforms is made up of great amounts of carbon. How do living things obtain carbon? Carbon is extracted from the atmosphere by plants through the process known as photosynthesis. This carbon is combined with other elements in complex ways to form organic molecules important to life. This carbon is later transferred to animals who consume, or eat plants. When plants and animals die, much of their carbon is returned to the atmosphere as the organisms decompose. Every so often, a plant or animal does not decompose right away. Their bodies are trapped in locations where decomposition can simply not take place. This is most common at the bottom of oceans and seas where the lifeforms become buried by sand. Instead of returning to the atmosphere, the carbon from these lifeforms is trapped within the Earth. Over millions of years, more and more of the carbon on Earth has been trapped in this manner. Today, almost 99% of all the carbon on Earth has been locked up deep within the Earth. As rocks weather, this carbon is slowly released back into the atmosphere, creating a balance. For the past several hundred million years, the amount of carbon being locked up in the Earth and the amount being released by weathering rocks was almost perfectly balanced. This important balance has been altered significantly in the past century as humans have begun using fossil fuels to produce energy. By burning the Earth’s store of carbon, mankind is able to create the energy needed to operate our communities. However, we must be careful as we do so. By releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than is being locked up, we risk causing damage to the delicate carbon cycle.

4 Main Carbon Reservoirs In Biosphere In ______________ as CO2 gas In _________ as dissolved CO2 gas On _______ in organisms, rocks, soil ________________ as coal & petroleum (fossil fuels) and calcium carbonate in rocks. ATMOSPHERE OCEAN LAND UNDERGROUND

Where Does CO2 In Atmosphere Come From? Volcanic activity Human activity (burning fossil fuels) Cellular respiration Decomposition of dead organisms

Why Is Carbon Important? BUILDING BLOCKS Found in all the _____________________ of cells: carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids.

Why Is Carbon Important? Carbon in CO2 provides the atoms for ___________ production during _____________________ ... the fuel that all living things depend on. GLUCOSE PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Nitrogen Cycle N2 in Atmosphere NH3 NO3- and NO2-

Why Is Nitrogen Important? Nitrogen is the most abundant element in our planet’s atmosphere. Nitrogen is used by lifeforms to carry out many of the functions of life. Nitrogen bases make DNA and RNA. Adenine (nitrogen base) is used in ATP. Makes amino part of amino acids (proteins). Nitrogen is used by lifeforms to carry out many of the functions of life. This element is especially important to plant life. Yet, nitrogen in its gaseous form is almost entirely unusable to lifeforms. It must first be converted or ‘fixed’ into a more usable form. The process of converting nitrogen is called fixation. There are specialized bacteria whose function it is to fix nitrogen, converting it, so that it can be used by plants. There are still other bacteria who do the reverse. That is, they return nitrogen to is gaseous form. After nitrogen is fixed, it can be absorbed and used by plants, and subsequently by animals. The process of nitrogen being fixed, used by plants and animals, and later returned to the atmosphere is referred to as the nitrogen cycle.

79% Of The Atmosphere Is Made Up Of Nitrogen Gas (N2) But we can’t use the nitrogen gas we breathe! The bond in N2 gas is so strong it can only be broken by … LIGHTNING VOLCANIC ACTIVITY FEW SPECIAL BACTERIA

Nitrogen Cycle NITROGEN FIXATION SYMBIOTIC LEGUMES AMMONIA (NH3) Bacteria that live in the soil and in ______________ relationships with plants called ____________, take nitrogen from the atmosphere and turn it into ___________________, a form that is usable by plants. This process is called… LEGUMES AMMONIA (NH3) NITROGEN FIXATION

Nitrogen Cycle Other bacteria in the soil convert ammonia into ________________ & ________________ which plants can also use. The nitrogen we need for proteins, ATP, and nucleic acids comes from the … we breathe! NITRATES (NO3- ) NITRITES (NO2-) FOOD WE EAT, NOT THE AIR

Nitrogen Cycle NITRATES & NITRITES NITROGEN GAS DENITRIFICATION Bacteria that live in the soil also carry out the reverse process … This process is called … NITRATES & NITRITES NITROGEN GAS DENITRIFICATION

Phosphorus Cycle Producers absorb phosphate from soil & water Phosphate moves through food web Weathering wears away rocks and sediments & releases phosphates into soil & water Phosphate returns to soil and water from waste or decomposition Sediments form “new land” to complete cycle

Phosphorus Cycle ATMOSPHERE Phosphorus cycle is only biogeochemical cycle that does not cycle through the … ATMOSPHERE

Why Is Phosphorus Important? Makes DNA and RNA Transfers energy as ATP Makes phospholipids for cell membranes