Download Ecology is the study of interactions among and with their environment

Matter Cycles
Analyze the diagram above and read the following definitions and choose a term from the
picture to associate with the definition:

_________________________________ - water from the clouds falls down onto the
land.

________________________________ - water loss from the leaves of plants

________________________________ - water loss from bodies of water due to the
effects of the sun

________________________________ - water accumulation in the clouds
Nitrogen Cycle

About 80% of the Earth’s atmosphere
is composed of nitrogen. This cannot
be directly used by plants and
animals. Plants and animals need
nitrogen to make organic compounds
such as _______________,
_________ and __________.

Bacteria in the soil convert those
nitrogen into forms plants can use.
This is called __________________.

Plants use the nitrogen in the soil to
grow.

Animals eat the plants; then animal
and plant residues return nitrogen to
the soil again, completing the cycle.
Ecology
Page 1
Carbon Cycle
In the atmosphere, carbon is attached
to some oxygen in a gas called
carbon dioxide.
Plants use carbon dioxide and
sunlight to make their own food and
grow. The carbon becomes part of the
plant. Plants that die and are buried
may turn into __________________
made of carbon like coal and oil over
millions of years. When humans burn
fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly
enters the ____________________
as carbon dioxide. Natural
processes such as _______________
also release carbon dioxide into the
atmosphere.
Carbon dioxide is a _____________
gas and traps heat in the atmosphere.
Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have
burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there
was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place – _____________________.
Oxygen Cycle


___________________ release oxygen through the
process of
______________________

________________ takes in
oxygen and use it during
_________________________
___________________.
The _____________________ ______________________ is a layer of O3 in the atmosphere that
absorbs 97–99% of the suns UV radiation.
 The ozone layer has been depleted due the use of certain chemicals including
_________________________________________ or CFC’s. Breakdown of the ozone allows
more harmful radiation to the Earth’s surface. Many countries have banned the use of CFC’s in
aerosol sprays. This has helped to lessen ozone layer depletion.
Ecology
Page 2