•Carbon, Nitrogen and
Phosphorus Cycles –
notes and videos
CARBON CYCLE
SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM CYCLES
CARBON CYCLE
• Carbon is an essential
component of proteins, fats, and
carbohydrates, which make up all
organisms
CARBON: GOOD OR BAD?
How carbon HELPS the planet
• Element in living things
• Plants need carbon for photosynthesis
• Carbon keeps the planet warm and
livable
• Some of the things we use everyday
contain carbon
• Ex.
CARBON: GOOD OR BAD?
How carbon HURTS the planet
• Too much carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere changes the climate
• Too much carbon dioxide dissolving in
the ocean makes it more acidic
• Chlorofluorocarbons deplete the
ozone
THE SHORT-TERM CARBON CYCLE
1.CO₂ in atmosphere converted
to carbohydrates during
photosynthesis by producers.
2. Consumers eat producers
3. Consumers and producers
release CO₂ into atmosphere.
SHORT-TERM CARBON CYCLE
LONG-TERM CARBON CYCLE
• 1. Limestone:
• Carbon is stored in bones and shells
• Do not decompose.
• Over millions of years form limestone
deposits (carbon reservoir)
LONG-TERM CARBON CYCLE
• 2. Coal:
• Carbon in plants and animals is
released into soil
• Over millions of year soil can form
deposits of coal or natural gas (fossil
fuels)
HUMANS AND THE CARBON CYCLE
• Humans put CO₂ into the atmosphere by:
• Burning fossil fuels
• Burning wood/forest fires
• Making cement
• Increased CO₂ in the atmosphere leads to:
• Traps heat in our atmosphere and the
Earth slowly heats up…global warming.
NITROGEN CYCLE
• Why? - Need nitrogen to build
proteins which build new cells
• Where? – Nitrogen makes up
78% of the atmosphere
NITROGEN CYCLE
• How? – Nitrogen-fixing bacteria:
alter atmospheric nitrogen into
chemical compounds
THE NITROGEN CYCLE
• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
• Live within nodules on roots of plants
called legumes (i.e. beans, peas,
clover).
• Produce nitrates.
• Nitrates are released into the soil.
• Plants get these nitrates, animals
that eat the plants get the nitrates.
PHOSPHORUS
• Is an element
• Makes up cells of living
organisms
• Example: Forms bones and
teeth
WHERE IS PHOSPHORUS FOUND?
•NOT in the atmosphere!
•Found in rocks - which
enters the soil when rocks
erode