Cycling of Matter

1. Cycling of Matter Section 2.6

2. Today’s Task • Working on your own you are going to read section 2.6 and make your own notes on the following biogeochemical cycles • The Water Cycle • The Carbon Cycle • The Nitrogen Cycle • Make sure to write the definition for biogeochemical cycle • Colour in the worksheets given to you

3. Let’s Take a Look at your Notes: • Biogeochemical Cycle – the movement of matter from through the biotic and abiotic environment. • Water Cycle • Shows how water takes different forms and moves through the environment • Water evaporates from the surface water (lakes, rivers, oceans), travels to the clouds, falls down again as rain, snow or hail. • Water that falls on land can move through the soil and form ground water or enter lakes/rivers and be surface water • Water also moves from the roots to the leaves of plants and then leaves the plant by way of transpiration

4. Carbon cycle: • Most exchange happens by way of photosynthesis – making sugar (energy) from carbon dioxide • Carbon deposits – when carbon is stored (fossil fuels, plant tissues) • Carbon sinks – when CO2 is stored in oceans (dissolved in water) • Humans can affect the cycle: • Car exhaust increases CO2 • Deforestation means that there are fewer trees photosynthesizing • Leads to global warming • Melting ice caps, increasing temperatures

5. Nitrogen Cycle: • Most N used is taken from the atmosphere, changed into useable forms by nitrogen fixing bacteria • This useable forms of N can be used to make proteins • Lightening can also “fix” N • N goes into the soil and when producers are consumed it is passed on to the consumers.