1. Ecosystem Recycling

2. Essential Standard 2.1 Analyze the interdependence of living organisms within their environments Clarifying Objective 2.1.1 Analyze the flow of energy and cycling of matter, such as water, carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen through ecosystems relating the significance of each to maintaining the health and sustainability of an ecosystem Learning Objective I can explain how matter is recycled within an ecosystem through the water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen cycles

3. While energy flows through an ecosystem, water and minerals are recycled. Water Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen

4. Water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen travels through a biogeochemical cycle, moving from the abiotic parts of an ecosystem into the biotic parts, and back again.

5. The Carbon Cycle All living things are made up of organic molecules that contain carbon. Just like water, the amount of carbon on Earth has not changed since the formation of Earth, it has just been recycled.

6. The Carbon Cycle Plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, during photosynthesis, and convert it into simple carbohydrates.

7. The Carbon Cycle Consumers break down carbohydrates during cellular respiration and release carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.

8. The Carbon Cycle During decomposition of organic wastes, carbon dioxide is also released into the atmosphere.

9. The Carbon Cycle Organic wastes that are not decomposed are buried and converted into fossil fuels.

10. The Carbon Cycle The burning of fossils fuels for mechanical use, during combustion, also releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

11. The Oxygen Cycle 21% of our Atmosphere consists of oxygen gas. Most life forms depend upon oxygen during cellular respiration to help release the energy found in their foods.

12. The Oxygen Cycle During the day, plants release oxygen into the atmosphere, during photosynthesis.

13. The Oxygen Cycle At night, plants take in oxygen from the atmosphere and use it for cellular respiration.

14. The Oxygen Cycle During both day and night, animals and fungi take oxygen from atmosphere and use it for cellular respiration.

15. The Oxygen Cycle The same processes happen underwater as well. Aquatic plants and phytoplankton release dissolved oxygen into the water during photosynthesis.

16. The Oxygen Cycle Animals remove the dissolved oxygen from the water during cellular respiration.

17. The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen is an essential element for all life and used to form proteins and nucleic acids. Like water and carbon, nitrogen is also recycled through ecosystems.

18. Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere. However, it exists as nitrogen gas, N 2, and is held together by a triple covalent bond that most organisms cannot break. The Nitrogen Cycle

19. The only organisms that can break the covalent bonds in atmospheric nitrogen are symbiotic bacteria that live on the roots of legume plants (beans and peanuts). The Nitrogen Cycle

20. Nitrogen Fixing bacteria, on roots of legumes, fix nitrogen gas into ammonia, nitrate, and nitrite during nitrogen fixation.

21. The Nitrogen Cycle Plants then take up the nitrogen products and use it to form proteins and nucleic acids.

22. The Nitrogen Cycle Animals obtain nitrogen by eating plants or other animals that ate plants. Excess nitrogen is released in urine or feces.

23. The Nitrogen Cycle Anaerobic bacteria break down the nitrogen products in plant and animal wastes into nitrogen gas that is released into the atmosphere during denitrification.

24. George Washington Carver George Washington Carver was a botanist and teacher that prompted farmers to plant more legumes, especially peanuts, to enrich soils that had become nutrient poor after being used to grow cotton over and over again. (He also invented Peanut Butter) http://intotheoutdoors.org/topics/discovery-of-nitrogen-fixation/

25. The End