Cycling of Matter 2.3

Hey, remember matter? Matter- anything that takes up space or has mass. Matter doesn’t go away, it can’t be destroyed or created, only changed from one state of matter to another. Nutrients are Matter! Biogeochemical cycle- the exchange of matter through the biosphere. Bio( living), geo (geological processes, planet Earth stuff), chemical (chemical processes, reactions between compounds made up of chemical elements)

Types of Biogeochemical cycles Nutrients- chemical substances than an organism must obtain from its environment to sustain life and to undergo life processes. Ex: Carbon, Oxygen, Phosphorous, Nitrogen Carbon and Hydrogen often cycle with Oxygen Creating the water cycle (H2O) and the Carbon dioxide cycle (CO2)

The water cycle- H2O Precipitation- water falling from the sky in any form (raining , hailing, monsooning, hurricane, etc.) Water will then either transpire, evaporate, runoff, or percolate.

The water cycle- H2O Evaporation- water is heated on the Earth’s surface and turns to vapor before returning to the Earth’s atmosphere. Transpiration- water is pushed from the roots of a plant to its pores, and water escapes. It will then evaporate. Runoff- on elevated surfaces, water won’t puddle to evaporate. Water ‘runs off’ of the surface to the nearest body of water, where it will eventually evaporate. Percolate- water seeps into the soil to become groundwater. It can also evaporate out of the soil.

The carbon cycle- CO2

The carbon cycle- CO2 The normal CO2 cycle Animals breath CO2 into the atmosphere through cellular respiration. Plants take in CO2 to make their own food and to create oxygen for animals through photosynthesis. Plants and animals die, and the Carbon and Oxygen in them gets broken down by decomposers and released into the atmosphere.

The carbon cycle- CO2 When the CO2 cycle is interrupted.. Carbon also enters the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels and disturbing carbonate sediment. Vehicles release excess CO2 into the atmosphere which either builds up in the atmosphere or gets dissolved into oceans/lakes/rivers/ponds. In aquatic ecosystems with coral reefs, CO2 dissolves the calcium carbonate that reefs are composed of. This breaks down and destroys coral reefs as well as the habitat for certain organisms.

The Nitrogen cycle- N

The Nitrogen cycle- N Nitrogen is naturally occurring in the atmosphere, and it is captured and converted to a useable form by plants through a process called nitrogen fixation. Lightning energy can also convert nitrogen from its gaseous state to its usable Nitrate form.

The Nitrogen cycle- N Humans and other animals take in nitrogen by eating plants that have nitrogen fixed in them or by eating other animals that have nitrogen in their proteins. Nitrogen is replaced back into the environment by expelling waste (pooping, peeing, etc.) Special bacteria break down the expelled waste to convert it back to its gaseous/ atmospheric form through a process called denitrification.

The Phosphorus Cycle- P

The Phosphorus Cycle- P Short-term Cycle Long-term Cycle Phosphorus in the form of solution phosphates are cycles from the soil to producers then to consumers. Soil-> Producers-> Consumers. When consumers die, decomposers break them down and return the phosphate to the soil for reuse. Phosphorus can change from the short-term to the long-term cycle when rocks form through precipitation and sedimentation. When rocks get eroded and weathered, phosphorous slowly gets added to the cycle.

Key Points Nutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen, carbon, and oxygen are considered matter. Matter cannot be broken down, only cycled through the environment.