Ecosystem Recycling

1. Ecosystem Recycling

2. Essential Standard 2.1Analyze 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 energyflows through an ecosystem, water and minerals are recycled. Water Nitrogen Carbon Oxygen

4. Water, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen travels through a biogeochemicalcycle, 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 organicmolecules that containcarbon. 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 notdecomposed are buried and converted into fossilfuels.

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 oxygeninto the atmosphere, during photosynthesis.

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

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

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

16. The Oxygen Cycle Animals remove the dissolvedoxygenfrom the water during cellular respiration.

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

18. The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere. However, it exists as nitrogen gas, N2, and is held together by a triple covalent bond that most organisms cannot break.

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

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

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

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

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

24. George Washington Carver http://intotheoutdoors.org/topics/discovery-of-nitrogen-fixation/ GeorgeWashingtonCarver 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)

25. The End