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II. Cycles of Matter

The document discusses three biogeochemical cycles - the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. The water cycle involves the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, including evaporation from oceans and other water bodies into the air, condensation into clouds, precipitation as rain or snow, and runoff into rivers, lakes and oceans. The carbon cycle describes the exchange of carbon between living things and the environment, including photosynthesis by plants which take in CO2 and release oxygen, consumption of plants by animals, and decomposition by decomposers which releases CO2 back into the air. The nitrogen cycle involves nitrogen being fixed from the air by bacteria, either free-

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338 views

II. Cycles of Matter

The document discusses three biogeochemical cycles - the water cycle, carbon cycle, and nitrogen cycle. The water cycle involves the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the Earth's surface, including evaporation from oceans and other water bodies into the air, condensation into clouds, precipitation as rain or snow, and runoff into rivers, lakes and oceans. The carbon cycle describes the exchange of carbon between living things and the environment, including photosynthesis by plants which take in CO2 and release oxygen, consumption of plants by animals, and decomposition by decomposers which releases CO2 back into the air. The nitrogen cycle involves nitrogen being fixed from the air by bacteria, either free-

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II.

Cycles of Matter
* matter is made up of tiny particles
called atoms
a

* two or more atoms joined and acting as


unit make up a molecule

A. The Water Cycle


* water is essential to life

* continuous process by which water


moves
from the Earths surface to the
atmosphere
and back

1. Evaporation
a. process by which molecules of liquid
water absorb energy and change to a gas
b. energy comes from the heat of the sun

2. Condensation
a. process by which gas changes to a liquid

b. cooled water vapor in the air turns back


into tiny drops of liquid water
c. droplets collect around particles of dust,
forming clouds

3. Precipitation
a. heavy drops of liquid water in the air
that fall back to the earth

*rain, snow, sleet or hail

What process causes water


from the surface of the ocean
to enter the atmosphere as
water vapor?

Evaporation a liquid changes into a


gas.

The water cycle

Figure 19.29d

B. The Carbon and Oxygen


* carbon is an essential building block in the
Cycle
bodies of living things

are

* the process by which carbon and oxygen


recycled is linked together

* producers, consumers, and decomposers


play
roles in recycling carbon and oxygen

1. Carbon Cycle
CO2 in
atmosphere

Photosynthesis

Burning
Producers
Wood and
fossil fuels

Cellular respiration

Higher-level
consumers

Primary
consumers

Decomposition

Detritivores
Detritus

a. producers take in CO2 gas from the air


during photosynthesis

b. consumers eat producers, taking in food molecules


containing carbon
c. decomposers break down the remains and waste of
producers and consumers, releasing CO 2 into the air

2. Oxygen Cycle
a. producers release oxygen during photosynthesis
b. most organism take in oxygen from the air or
the water in order to live

3. Human Impact
a. human activities affect the levels of
carbon
and oxygen in the atmosphere
* burning oil and fuels, burning or cutting
down trees

What role do producers play in


the carbon and oxygen cycle?

Producers take in CO2 and, through


photosynthesis release O2 and provide
carbon to consumers in the form of food

C. The Nitrogen Cycle


* nitrogen moves from the air to the soil,
into
living things, and back to the air
Nitrogen (N2) in
atmosphere

Detritus

Denitrifying
bacteria Assimilation
by plants
Nitrates
(NO3 )

Amino
acids and
proteins in
plants and
animals

Detritivores

Decomposition

Nitrogen-fixing
bacteria in root
nodules of
legumes

Nitrogen
fixation
Nitrifying
bacteria

Ammonium
(NH4+ )

Nitrogenfixing
bacteria
in soil

1. Nitrogen Fixation
a. process of changing free nitrogen into a
usable form of nitrogen
b. most organisms need nitrogen to be fixed combined with other elements

c. most nitrogen fixation is done by bacteria


d. some of this bacteria lives in bumps on
roots of plants called nodules

2. Return of Nitrogen to the Environment


a. producers use fixed nitrogen to make proteins
and complex compounds

b. decomposers breakdown the compounds


in animal waste and dead organism

Where do some nitrogen-fixing


bacteria live?

Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria live in


nodules
on the roots of plants.

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