Chapter 2 Principles

of Ecology
Chapter 2 Principles of Ecology Section 3
1. Describe how nutrients move through the biotic and abiotic parts
of an ecosystem
2. Explain the importance of nutrients to living organisms
3. Compare the biogeochemical cycles of nutrients
 Cycles in the Biosphere
• Energy is transformed into usable forms to support the functions of an ecosystem.
• There must be a constant supply.
• Unlike energy, matter is constantly being recycled & reused.
• Matter: anything that takes up space and has mass—provides the nutrients needed
for organisms to function.
• Nutrient: is a chemical substance that an organism must obtain from its
environment to sustain life and to undergo life processes.
 Biogeochemical Cycle
• The cycling of nutrients in the biosphere involves both matter in living organisms
and physical processes found in the environment.
• Ex: Weathering (Weathering breaks down large rocks into particles that become part
of the soil used by plants and other organisms. )
• Biogeochemical Cycle: Exchange of matter through the biosphere
 The Water Cycle
1. Water vapor rises and begins to cool in the atmosphere
1. Clouds form when water vapor condenses into droplets
2. Water falls from clouds as precipitation in the form of rain, sleet, or hail,
transfer-ring water to the Earth’s surface.
3. Ground-water and runoff from land surfaces flow into streams, rivers, lakes, and
oceans, only to evaporate into the atmosphere to continue the water cycle.
 The Water Cycle 2
• Transpiration: Fancy word for evaporate
• Percolation: Fancy word for seeping into the ground
• The slow passage of a liquid through a filtering medium
• Freshwater constitutes only about 3 percent of all water on Earth.
• About 69 percent of all freshwater is found in ice caps and glaciers.
 The Carbon Cycle
1. Carbon enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide from respiration
(breathing) and combustion (burning).
2. Carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make carbohydrates in
photosynthesis.
1. These producers then put off oxygen.
 The Carbon Cycle 2
1. Animals feed on the plants. Thus passing the carbon compounds along the food chain.
1. Most of the carbon these animals consume however is exhaled as carbon dioxide.
2. This is through the process of respiration.
3. The animals and plants then eventually die.
2. The dead organisms (dead animals and plants) are eaten by decomposers in the ground.
1. The carbon that was in their bodies is then returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
2. In some circumstances the process of decomposition is prevented.
3. The decomposed plants and animals may then be available as fossil fuel in the future for
combustion.
 Oxygen Cycle
1. All green plants during the process of photosynthesis, release oxygen back into
the atmosphere as a by-product.
2. All aerobic organisms use free oxygen for respiration.
3. Animals exhale Carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere which is again used by
the plants during photosynthesis.
1. Now oxygen is balanced within the atmosphere.
 Carbon & Oxygen Cycle
• Carbon and oxygen often make up molecules essential for life.
• Carbon and oxygen recycle relatively quickly through living organisms.
• The carbon & oxygen cycles are closely connected.
 The Nitrogen Cycle
• Organisms require nitrogen to produce amino acids.
• Nitrogen makes up seventy-eight percent of the atmosphere, but most organisms
can not use this form of nitrogen, and must have the fixed form.
• The nitrogen cycle produces the fixed form of nitrogen these organisms need.
 The Nitrogen Cycle 2
1. A special type of bacteria called nitrogen fixing bacteria take in atmospheric
nitrogen and produce ammonia (NH3).
2. Other bacteria use this ammonia to produce nitrates and nitrites, which are
nitrogen and oxygen containing compounds.
3. The nitrates and nitrites are used by plants to make amino acids which are then
used to make plant proteins.
4. Plants are consumed by other organisms which use the plant amino acids to make
their own.
 The Nitrogen Cycle 3
1. Decomposers convert the nitrogen found in other organisms into ammonia and
return it to the soil.
1. A few of these type of bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere by a process called
denitrification, however this amount is small.
 The Phosphorus Cycle
• Phosphorous is a crucial nutrient for plants and animals.
• For instance, it forms an integral component of genes and plays a significant role in
the Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) energy cycle.
• Without phosphorous, you wouldn’t be able to contract your muscles.
 The Phosphorus Cycle 2
1. Weathering causes phosphate salts to break from the rocks.
1. The salts wash away into the ground, where they get mixed in the soil.
2. Plants absorb phosphate salts dissolved in soil water.
3. Animals absorb phosphorous by eating plants or plant-eating animals.
4. During decomposition, the organic form of phosphorous is converted into an
inorganic form, which is then recycled to the soil and water.
 Homework May 25, 2020 (Mon)
• Science Notebook Section 2.3 Cycling of Matter {Due: May 24, 2020 (Sun) by
11:59 PM
• Study Guide Worksheets 2.3 Cycling of Matter {Due: May 24, 2020 (Sun) by 11:59
PM
• Chapter 2 Review{Due: May 25, 2020 (Mon) by Class Time}