03 Ecosystem Cycles

Ecosystem Cycles:
Biogeochemical Cycles
Define the Following
• 1. Evaporation
• 2. Transpiration
• 3. Sublimation
• 4. Condensation
• 5. Precipitation
• What would happen if water is not
cycled?
HYDROLOGIC (Water) CYCLE
Condensation
Rain clouds
Transpiration
Evaporation
Precipitation to Transpiration
land from plants Precipitation
Precipitation Evaporation
Surface runoff from land Evaporation
Runoff from ocean Precipitation to
(rapid)
ocean
Infiltration and Surface

Percolation runoff
(rapid)
Groundwater movement (slow)
Ocean storage
Figure 4-28
Page 76
Slide 34
Carbon Cycle
• 1. Where can be carbons found?
• 2. How does carbon get to the
atmosphere?
• 3. How does carbon become part of the
earth?
• 4. When is carbon useful?
• 5. When is carbon dangerous?
Nitrogen Cycle
• 1. Where is nitrogen found?
• 2. Trace the nitrogen cycle using the following
words:
• Plants, animals Nitrogen, ammonia, nitrites,
nitrogen fixing bacteria, denitrifying bacteria,
nitrates, ammonium,
• 3. Give one example of nitrogen pollution.
Carbon and Nitrogen Cycle
The Water Cycle
1. Water cycles between the oceans, atmosphere and
land. All living organisms require water.
A. Water enters the atmosphere as water vapor, a
gas, when water evaporates from the ocean or
other bodies of water.
Evaporation—the process by which water changes
from a liquid to a gas.
B. Water can also enter the atmosphere by
evaporating from the leaves of plants—
Transpiration.
The Water Cycle
C. Precipitation--rain, snow, sleet, or hail
a. The sun heats the atmosphere.
b. Warm, moist air rises and cools.
c. Eventually, the water vapor condenses
into tiny droplets that form clouds.
d. When the droplets become large
enough, the water return to Earth’s surface.
The Water Cycle
D. Run-off—Precipitation runs along the surface of

the ground until it enters a river or a stream that
carries the run-off back to an ocean or lake.
E. Seepage—Rain also seeps into the soil, some of it

deeply enough to become ground water. Water in
the soil enters plants through the roots, and the
water cycle begins anew.
Condensation Condensation
Precipitation
Precipitation
Transpiration
Evaporation
Seepage Surface Run-off
Ground Water
The Carbon Cycle
1. Every organic molecule contains the element carbon.
A. Carbon and oxygen form carbon dioxide gas (CO2), an
important component of the atmosphere.
B. Carbon dioxide is taken in by plants during photosynthesis
and is given off by plants and animals during cellular
respiration.
2. Four main types of processes move carbon through its cycle:
A. Biological processes, such as photosynthesis, cellular
respiration, and decomposition, take up and release carbon
and oxygen.
The Carbon Cycle
B. Geochemical processes, such as erosion and
volcanic activity, release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere and oceans.
C. Mixed biogeochemical processes, such as the
burial and decomposition of dead organisms and
their conversion under pressure into coal and
petroleum (fossil fuels), store carbon underground.
D. Human activities, such as mining, cutting and
burning forests, and burning fossil fuels, release
carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
The Nitrogen Cycle
1. All organisms require nitrogen to make amino acids,
which in turn are used to build proteins.
A. Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s
atmosphere.
B. Nitrogen containing substances that are found in
the wastes produced by many organisms and in
dead and decaying organic matter.
C. Nitrate is major component of plant fertilizers.
The Nitrogen Cycle
2. Nitrogen gas is the most abundant form but
only certain bacteria can use this form.
A. Such bacteria live in the soil and on the
roots of plants.
B. These bacteria convert nitrogen gas into
ammonium--nitrogen fixation.
C. Other bacteria in the soil convert ammonia
into nitrites and nitrates.
3. Once the nitrites and nitrates are available,
producers (plants) can use them to make
proteins. Consumers then eat the producers
and reuse the nitrogen to make their own
proteins.
4.When organisms die, decomposers return
nitrogen to the soil as ammonia.
5.Other soil bacteria convert nitrates into nitrogen
gas--denitrification. This process releases
nitrogen into the atmosphere once again.
CO2 in Atmosphere
Burning of
Fossil Fuels
Cellular Respiration
Photosynthesis
Coal and Petroleum Decomposition of

dead organisms
Nitrogen Gas in Atmosphere
Denitrification
Nitrates
(NO3-)
Nitrogen Fixation
Decomposers return
ammonia to soil
Nitrites
(NO2-)

03 Ecosystem Cycles

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03 Ecosystem Cycles

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Ecosystem Cycles:

Infiltration and Surface

D. Run-off—Precipitation runs along the surface of

E. Seepage—Rain also seeps into the soil, some of it

Seepage Surface Run-off

Coal and Petroleum Decomposition of

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