Flow of Energy

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Flow of Energy

• Energy moves through an
• ecosystem on a
• ONE-WAY PATHWAY

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Biogeochemical Cycles
Cycles of Matter

• Water
• Carbon
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus

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The Water Cycle

• Evaporation
• Transpiration
• Condensation
• Precipitation
• One H2O molecule may take as long as 4000 years
  to complete 1 cycle.

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Nutrients

• All the chemical substances that an organism
  needs to sustain life.
• Every living organism needs nutrients to build
  tissues and carry out essential life functions.
• Like water, nutrients are passed between
  organisms and the environment through
  biogeochemical cycles.

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The Carbon Cycle
ONLY photosynthesis removes Carbon from the
atmosphere. Other processes key to this
cycle Respiration Decomposition
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The Nitrogen Cycle
The atmosphere is about 80 nitrogen. Mainly
bacteria make this nitrogen available to the rest
of the living world by chemically treating it and
making it available to plants.
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The Phosphorus Cycle
Very localized cycle with no atmospheric
component. Like the nitrogen and carbon cycles
phosphorus is take into the food chain through
plants.
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Matter moves through ecosystems very differently
then energy. Matter is recycled. (Follow the blue
lines in the diagram above)
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Biological Importance
CARBON Carbon forms the framework for the organic
molecules essential to all organisms NITROGEN Nit
rogen is a component of amino acids, proteins,
and nucleic acids and is a crucial and often
limiting plant nutrient PHOSPHORUS Organisms
require phosphorus as a major component in
nucleic acids, phospholipids, ATP, and as a
mineral constituent of bones and teeth
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Cycle Homework

• 1. Create a comic or animation to trace the path
  of one atom (carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorous)
  through an ecosystem. You should describe the
  state of the atom, the process of moving between
  levels. Your adventure should end where it
  started.
• 2. Create a flyer or pamphlet to explain how a
  nutrient cycle affects the success of garden or
  crop. The report must contain the role of
  producers, consumers and decomposers.
• 3. Create a flyer, pamphlet, or comic to explain
  how humans impact one of the cycles. The impact
  may be positive or negative. You must explain how
  we impact the cycle and if the impact is positive
  or negative. You may also wish to discuss what
  can be done to improve any negative impact we
  have.
• This counts as two homework assignments! Be
  creative!