3–3 Cycles of Matter
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
3-3 Cycles of Matter
How does matter move among the living
and nonliving parts of an ecosystem?
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Recycling in the Biosphere
Recycling in the Biosphere
Energy and matter move through the
biosphere very differently.
Unlike the one-way flow of energy,
matter is recycled within and between
ecosystems.
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Recycling in the Biosphere
Matter (elements, chemical compounds, etc.) are
passed from one organism to another
Matter is assembled into living tissue, passed out of the
body, or decomposed.
AND from one part of the biosphere to another
through biogeochemical cycles.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
What are the two reasons we
need food?
1. Energy. Organic
compounds (carbs, lipids,
proteins, and nucleic
acids)
2. Build us. Organic
compounds contain the
carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, and sulfur
that make up most of our
bodies.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
All living things require water to survive.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
The Water Cycle
Water moves between the ocean, atmosphere, and land.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
How are nutrients important in living
systems?
Remember the two reasons why you need
food (nutrients):
--For energy and building materials
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
Nutrient Cycles
All the chemical substances that an organism
needs to sustain life are its nutrients.
Every living organism needs nutrients to
build tissues and carry out essential life
functions.
Similar to water, nutrients are passed
between organisms and the environment
through biogeochemical cycles.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Rembember this chart? Matter is neither created nor
destroyed
Group Name
CARBOHYDRATES
LIPIDS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
PROTEINS
Chemical composition
(made up of…)
Examples
Function (job) in living
things
C,H,O
C,H,O
C,H,O,N,
P
C,H,O,N,
S
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon is a key ingredient of living tissue.
Biological processes
such as photosynthesis, respiration, and
decomposition, take up and release carbon and
oxygen.
Geochemical processes
such as erosion and volcanic activity, release
carbon dioxide to the atmosphere and oceans.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
CO2 in
Atmosphere
Photosynthesis
feeding
Volcanic
activity
Respiration
Decomposition
Human
activity
Erosion
CO2 in Ocean
Respiration
Uplift
Deposition
Photosynthesis
Fossil fuel
feeding
Deposition
Carbonate
Rocks
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
The Nitrogen Cycle
All organisms require nitrogen to make nucleic acids and
proteins!
Although nitrogen gas is the most abundant form of
nitrogen on Earth-80% of atmosphere is N2 gas. THIS IS
UNUSABLE BY ALMOST EVERYTHING, EXCEPT…
Bacteria live in the soil and on the roots of plants called
legumes (beans, clover, etc.).
They convert nitrogen gas (unusable form) into ammonia
(usable form) in a process known as nitrogen fixation.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
THEN…
Other bacteria in the soil convert ammonia into
nitrates and nitrites.
Once these products are available, producers can
use them to make proteins.
Consumers then eat the producers and reuse the
nitrogen to make their own proteins or nucleic acids.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
N2 in
Atmosphere
Synthetic fertilizer
manufacturer
Uptake by
producers
Bacterial
nitrogen
fixation
Atmospheric
nitrogen fixation
Denitrification
Reuse by
consumers
Decomposition,
excretion
NH3
Uptake by
producers
Reuse by
consumers
Decomposition,
excretion
NO3 and
NO2
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
When organisms die, decomposers return nitrogen to
the soil as ammonia.
The ammonia may be taken up again by producers.
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Cycles
Other soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen gas
in a process called denitrification.
This process releases nitrogen into the atmosphere
once again.
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Nutrient Cycles
The Phosphorus Cycle
Phosphorus is essential to organisms because it
helps forms important molecules like DNA and
RNA.
Most phosphorus exists in the form of inorganic
phosphate—in rocks. Inorganic phosphate is
released into the soil and water as sediments wear
down.
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Organic phosphate
moves through the
food web and to the
rest of the ecosystem.
Nutrient Cycles
Organisms
Land
Ocean
Sediments
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3–3 Cycles of Matter
Nutrient Limitation
Nutrient Limitation
The primary productivity of an ecosystem is
the rate at which organic matter (carbohydrates)
is created by producers through photosynthesis.
One factor that controls the primary productivity of
an ecosystem is the amount of available nutrients.
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Nutrient Limitation
If a nutrient is in short supply, it will limit an
organism's growth.
When an ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient
that is scarce or cycles very slowly, this substance is
called a limiting nutrient.
Therefore: lower amounts of nitrogen or
phosphorus LIMIT the growth of plants.
If a plant can’t make proteins or nucleic acids it can’t
build or run itself.
What happens if large amounts of N or P are added?
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Transpiration is part of the
a. water cycle.
b. carbon cycle.
c. nitrogen cycle.
d. phosphorus cycle.
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Carbon is found in the atmosphere in the form of
a. carbohydrates.
b. carbon dioxide.
c. calcium carbonate.
d. ammonia.
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Biologists describe nutrients as moving through
cycles because the substances
a. start as simple organic forms that plants
need.
b. provide “building blocks” and energy that
organisms need.
c. are passed between organisms and the
environment and then back to organisms.
d. are needed by organisms to carry out life
processes.
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The only organisms that can convert nitrogen in
the atmosphere into a form useful to living things
are nitrogen-fixing
a. plants.
b. bacteria.
c. detritivores.
d. animals.
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3–3
When an aquatic ecosystem receives a large
input of a limiting nutrient, the result is
a. runoff.
b. algal death.
c. algal bloom.
d. less primary productivity.
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END OF SECTION