Everything the Power of the World does is done in a circle. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours. The sun comes forth and goes down again in a circle. The moon does the same, and both are round. Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. ~Black Elk

Why is it important for us to recycle paper, plastic, metal, glass, etc.?

Cycles of Matter Essential Question: How are the materials needed for life recycled and reused in nature?

1. What are the four chemical elements that make up 95% of the bodies of all living things? Oxygen, Carbon, Nitrogen, Hydrogen

2. How is the movement of matter through the biosphere different from the flow of energy? Matter is recycled, used over and over. Energy is a 1-way flow from sun to earth.

3. Why is water so important to living things? Bodies made up mostly of water (~70%) Used to dissolve and transport important materials around body, e.g. blood Helps get rid of waste products, e.g. urine Transports materials around planet in rain, streams, oceans Helps regulate temperature, e.g. sweat.

"You never enjoy the world aright till the sea itself flows in your veins, till you are clothed with the stars." -Thomas Traherne

What’s the 1 st thing scientists look for when looking for life on other planets?

4. Use the space below to draw a simplified diagram showing how water is recycled in the biosphere. Be sure to label the following: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff, seepage, transpiration. evaporation condensation precipitation transpiration runoff seepage 0-5%

5. Define the following: a.Evaporation – b.Condensation – c.Precipitation - d.Transpiration - Change from liquid to gas Change from gas to liquid Water vapor given off by plants Rain, snow, hail, etc. evaporation condensation precipitation transpiration runoff seepage

Transpiration in the rainforest

6. What is a nutrient? Substance needed for life processes. “nutritious” food = food with nutrients

7. Why is carbon especially important to living things? Key ingredient in living tissue “backbone” of all molecules that make up living things Carbon atom Glucose molecule: the sugar plants make in photosynthesis

8. Use the space below to draw a simplified diagram of the carbon cycle. Be sure to label the following: photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, feeding, and human activity. CO 2 in atmosphere photosynthesis respiration Decomposition (dying) feeding Human activity Fossil fuels Photosynthesis (phytoplankton) respiration Volcanic activity Decomposition (dying) (Coal, oil, gas) feeding 0.04%

9. Describe three different ways that carbon is absorbed into the land or water. Use complete sentences! Plants take in CO 2 for photosynthesis Animals, plants die and decompose Phytoplankton in ocean take in CO 2 for photosynthesis CO 2 from air dissolves in water.

10. Describe three different ways that carbon moves from the land or water up into the atmosphere. Use complete sentences! Animals exhale CO 2 (respiration). People burn fossil fuels (human activity). Volcanoes give off CO 2 when erupt.

11. Why do all living things need nitrogen from their environment? Used to make protein Proteins make up muscle and other tissues.

12. Use the space below to draw a simplified diagram of the nitrogen cycle. Be sure to identify and explain the following: nitrogen fixation, decomposition, excretion, uptake by producers, reuse by consumers, and denitrification. N 2 in Atmosphere Nitrogen fixation (bacteria) Uptake by producers Decomposition Denitrification (bacteria) Reuse by consumers (eating) 78% Excretion (poop)

13. What is nitrogen fixation and why is it important to living things? Changing nitrogen in the air to a form that can be used by plants to make protein. When plants that fix nitrogen die or drop leaves, they fertilize the soil by adding more nitrogen.

Red alder What common Pacific NW tree can fix nitrogen?

14. What is a “limiting nutrient” in an ecosystem? A nutrient that is scarce, thus limiting the growth of an organism or ecosystem. Example: nitrogen

Sudden increase in algae growth. Usually caused by temporary increase in limiting nutrients, e.g. fertilizer runoff from lawns… 15. What are algal blooms and what causes them? Why are they a problem for aquatic ecosystems?

Can kill fish and other animals. How? When fertilizer gone, algae die. Bacteria that decompose dead algae use up all the oxygen. Fish suffocate… What are algal blooms and what causes them? Why are they a problem for aquatic ecosystems?

16. How does what you’ve learned about nutrient cycles relate to our previous Essential Question: “How are parts of living systems interconnected and interdependent?”’ All animals and plants on Earth are connected through water cycles, carbon cycles, nitrogen cycles. All living things use and re-use the same water, carbon, nitrogen.

Questions?

Discussion Questions 1.Do you believe global warming/climate change is happening? 2.Do you believe human activity is contributing to it? 3.What evidence do you have to support your answers to #1 and #2?

Review: What is transpiration and why is it important to life on Earth? Transpiration = water vapor given off by plants. Important because it’s one way water is returned to the atmosphere so it can fall elsewhere in the form of precipitation.

On scratch paper: Use words and pictures to show how you could do an experiment to measure how much water plants give off through transpiration….