3.3 Cycles of Matter
Objectives
Describe how matter cycles among the living and
nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explain why nutrients are important in living systems.
 Describe how the availability of nutrients affects the
productivity of ecosystems.
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So Far…
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We’ve talked about biotic factors of ecosystems…today
and tomorrow were going to talk about abiotic factors…
What are biotic factors?
What are abiotic factors?
What are the three most important things
you need in order to live???
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I once asked this question…
What are the three most important things
you need in order to live???
The Water Cycle
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All living things need water to survive.
The Water Cycle
The Water Cycle
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Water moves between the ocean, atmosphere, and land
through a process called the water cycle.
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Evaporation – water changes from liquid to gas.
Transpiration – water evaporates from leaves.
Condensation – water changes from gas to liquid and becomes
a cloud.
Precipitation – rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
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Can fall into rivers and be carried to oceans
Seep into soil and sucked up by plant roots or become ground water.
Assignment - Requirements
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Create a comic strip about a
“drop” of water that goes
through the water cycle.
The “drop must completely
go through the water cycle
and hit all seven stages on
the diagram on page 75.
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Evaporation
Transpiration
Condensation
Precipitation
Runoff
Seepage
Root uptake
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Underline the seven words
used.
Can be in color…more
points given for color!!!
Due
Friday!!!
Assignment
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Your comic should CAN BE FUNNY AND ORIGINAL!!!
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Have your droplet go through sewers, drains, oceans, toilets,
whatever you want it to go through.
Give your water human characteristics such as the ability to
talk, facial features, hair, clothes, weapons, anything.
Objectives
Describe how matter cycles among the living and
nonliving parts of an ecosystem.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------- Explain why nutrients are important in living systems.
 Describe how the availability of nutrients affects the
productivity of ecosystems.

Review
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What is the autotroph in the following food web?
Review
What is the autotroph in
the following food web?
Identify a herbivore in this
food web.
Identify a carnivore in this
food web.
Identify a omnivore in this
food web.
Review
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What is the shared role of the bacteria, daphnia, and
centipede in this food web?
Review
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I’ll give you the definition, you give me the word:
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The process of going from a liquid to an atmospheric gas.
Examples include rain, sleet, hail, and snow.
Evaporation from the leaves of plants.
The process of water vapor becoming a cloud.
Nutrient Cycles
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Nutrients – chemical substances an organism needs to
sustain life.
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WITHOUT NUTRIENTS YOU WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO
CREATE TISSUE (grow) OR CARRY OUT ESSENTIAL LIFE
FUNCTIONS.
Three Key Nutrients:
1) Carbon
2) Nitrogen
3) Phosphorous
The Carbon Cycle (pg. 77)
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Carbon has many roles:
Key ingredient in living tissue.
 Forms CO
Four Process That Move Carbon:
1) Biological process (photosynthesis & respiration)
2) Geochemical processes (volcanic eruptions)
3) Burial and decomposition of dead organisms (or creation of
fossil fuel).
4) Human activities (burning fossil fuels, burning forests)
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The Nitrogen Cycle (pg. 78)
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All organisms need nitrogen to create proteins.
The Nitrogen Cycle (pg. 78)
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All organisms need
nitrogen to create
proteins.
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Nitrogen fixation – process
of converting nitrogen gas
into usable nitrogen in the
soil.
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Done by special bacteria that
live in special roots called
legumes.
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Denitrification – process of
converting usable nitrogen
into nitrogen gas.
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Done by plants that take up
nitrogen in soil.
The Phosphorus Cycle (pg. 79)
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Essential to living organisms because it forms DNA.
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Stays in rocks, soils, and dissolved in water.
Plants then absorb the usable phosphorus.
Nutrient Limitation
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Sometimes an ecosystem can be lacking in one nutrient,
and be unable to support life.
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Limiting nutrient – ecosystem is limited by a single nutrient
that is scarce.
Closure
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Water cycle
Carbon cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Phosphorous cycle
Nutrient Limitation
QUIZ TOMORROW!!!
Assignment
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To help prepare you for
your quiz:
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Pg. 73 1-5
Pg. 80 1-5