1. Get to work … Put your name on the small square piece of paper.
Number it 1 through 5.
Write the answers to these questions:
1. A natural feature where carbon is stored is:
2. Give an example:
3. A natural feature where more carbon enters than leaves is:
4. Give an example:
5. How does carbon enter the biosphere?

2. Yesterday’s worksheet …
-- The largest carbon reservoir on Earth is in sedimentary rocks within the planet’s crust. The world’s oceans are the second-largest carbon reservoir.
-- A carbon reservoir is a natural feature that stores carbon.
-- All plant life on the planet acts as a carbon sink.
-- A sink is a type of reservoir that accepts more carbon than it releases.
-- Carbon gets into plants through photosynthesis, which is the process of turning energy from the sun into a type of stored energy (sugar).
-- Carbon gets into and out of animals through cellular respiration. It’s a process of releasing energy from food.

3. What is the Nitrogen Cycle?
The nitrogen cycle is the process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants, and animals in an ecosystem.

4. Why is it important?
All organisms need nitrogen to build proteins, which are used to build new cells.
Enzymes
Bones
Skin
Muscles
Hair
Nails

5. Why is it important?
It is an essential nutrient for plant growth.

6. Where is it found? Most of the Nitrogen is in the atmosphere.
It makes up 78% of our atmosphere
It is scarce in the geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

7. The Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen must be chemically changed (or fixed) before organisms can use it.
Lightning
Bacteria

8. What are nitrogen fixing bacteria?
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria are bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia
Only a few species of bacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen

9. The Nitrogen Cycle

10. The Nitrogen Cycle Cellular respiration: A Lightning: B Vegetation: C
Moo!

11. Decomposers and the Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen stored within the bodies of living things is returned to the nitrogen cycle once those organisms die.
Decomposers break down decaying plants and animals, as well as plant and animal wastes.
After decomposers return nitrogen to the soil, bacteria transform a small amount of the nitrogen into nitrogen gas, which then returns to the atmosphere to complete the nitrogen cycle.

12. What’s Important Most nitrogen is found in the atmosphere.
Nitrogen has to be chemically changed to be used in the biosphere.
Nitrogen is used to build proteins in living things.
Eutrophication

13. ENERGY Energy cycle is not like the other cycles.
Energy is constantly NEW, not recycled.
Energy is provided by the sun.
Energy is constantly released and lost.

14. ENERGY Solar Energy (sun): 1 Producers: 2 Consumers: 3 Decomposers: 4
Heat energy is constantly lost!

15. ENERGY
Energy enters the biosphere through photosynthesis in plants (so does carbon).

16. ENERGY
Cellular respiration in cells (in both plants and animals) releases energy so life can use it.

17. What’s important Energy is constantly NEW, not recycled.
Energy enters the biosphere through photosynthesis in plants
Cellular respiration in cells (in both plants and animals) releases energy so life can use it.

18. Do you know … 1. Do you know what an environmental system is?
2. Do you know what the differences between open and closed systems are?
3. Do you know that environmental systems are open and why they are classified as open?
4. Without any help, can you determine what the inputs, outputs and parts of an environmental system are?
5. Do you know what a positive feedback loop is and how it affects natural systems?

19. Do you know …
6. Do you know what a negative feedback loop is and how it affects natural systems?
7. Do you know what Earth’s four main spheres are?
8. Do you know how those four spheres interact?
9. Do you know what the lithosphere, asthenosphere, tectonic plates and landforms are?
10. Do you know what the cryosphere is?
11. Can you describe the water cycle?
12. Can you give examples of ways humans change the water cycle?

20. Do you know …
13. Do you know where most of Earth’s water is found? How about fresh water?
14. Do you know where most of the nitrogen is found in the nitrogen cycle?
15. Do you know where most of the phosphorus is found in the phosphorus cycle?
16. Can you describe the carbon cycle?
17. Can you give an example of a carbon reservoir?
18. Can you give an example of a carbon sink?

21. Do you know …
19. Do you know what role producers, consumers and decomposers have in the carbon cycle?
20. Do you know what role producers, consumers and decomposers have in the energy cycle?