Ecology Unit

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Ecology Unit

• Learning Goal 2 Explain relationships between
  matter cycles and organisms.

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Cycles of Matter

• Unlike the one-way flow of energy, matter is
  recycled within and between ecosystems.

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The Water Cycle
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The Water Cycle

• The water required by all living organisms moves
  between the ocean, the atmosphere, and the land.
• Evaporation ? liquid to a gas
• Transpiration ? water that enters the atmosphere
  by evaporating from the leaves of the plants.
• Condensation ? gas to a liquid
• Precipitation ? The water that returns to the
  earths surface in the form of rain, snow, sleet,
  or hail.
• Runoff ? The precipitation that runs along the
  surface of the ground until it enters a river or
  stream.
• Seepage ? Water that seeps into the ground.
• Root Uptake ? Water enters plants and starts the
  process over again.

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• Organisms and the Water Cycle
• Producers Take water from the soil through
  roots, then release it through leaves. This is
  called transpiration.
• Consumers Take in water from their food and
  from surface water supplies. They release it
  back into the environment through waste products,
  respiration, and give it off from their outer
  covering.
• Decomposers Release water into the atmosphere
  as they break down dead matter.

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The Carbon Cycle
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The Carbon Cycle

• Carbon is a key ingredient in living tissue.
• Four main types of processes move carbon through
  its cycle
• Biological processes
• such as photosynthesis, respiration, and
  decomposition
• Geochemical processes
• such as erosion and volcanic activity
• Mixed biogeochemical processes
• Human activities
• such as mining, cutting and burning forests, and
  burning fossil fuels

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The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle

• Producers Take in carbon dioxide (CO2)
• from the atmosphere and use it to make carbon
  compounds like carbohydrates through the process
  of photosynthesis
• CO2 H2O -------? C6H12O6 O2
• (glucose)

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• Consumers Eat food made by the producers to get
  carbon compounds for energy. Take in oxygen (O2)
  to use in cellular respiration
• O2 C6H12O6 -------? CO2 H2O (Energy)
• Decomposers Take in and give off O2 and CO2 as
  do other consumers.
• Carbon compounds are also stored in the earth as
  fossil fuels when plant and animal matter is
  buried and compressed over long periods of time.
  
• CO2 is then released when these fuels are burned.
  
• Some also comes from earth processes like
  volcanoes.

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The Nitrogen Cycle
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The Nitrogen Cycle

• The Earths atmosphere is 78 nitrogen gas.
• All organisms need nitrogen compounds to build
  muscle and DNA along with other biological
  molecules.
• Atmospheric nitrogen must be converted to a form
  that is usable to organisms
• Some types of soil bacteria can convert nitrogen
  in the air to a usable form for plants. This is
  called nitrogen fixation.

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• Producers Take in nitrogen compounds from the
  soil and use them to build biological molecules.
• Consumers Get their nitrogen from eating plants
  and other types of organisms.
• Decomposers Release nitrogen compounds back
  into the soil. Other types of bacteria convert
  the nitrogen back into nitrogen gas
  (denitrification).

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The Phosphorus Cycle http//videos.howstuffworks.
com/hsw/23483-the-web-of-life-phosphorus-video.htm
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The Phosphorus Cycle

• Phosphorus is the only important biological
  element that does not occur as part of
  atmospheric gases.
• Its original source is in the earths crust as
  part of rocks.
• It is released into the soil through the process
  of erosion.
• Phosphorus is an important component of DNA and
  proteins as well as other biological molecules

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Producers Pick up phosphorus compounds from
the soil. Consumers Get their phosphorus from
their food. Decomposers Release phosphorus
compounds back into the soil.
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• An imbalance of any of the nutrients can limit an
  organisms growth.