Download Biogeochemical cycles Notes

Energy Pyramid Activity
Directions:
• Cut out your pyramid but DO NOT put it
together!
• The pyramid has four triangular sides; sides
should show three to four trophic levels.
• Each side needs to show an energy pyramid
from a different ecosystem. For example, a
marine ecosystem, a temperate forest
ecosystem, a desert ecosystem or any that
you did research on for your homework. (16
points for correct food chains plus 4 points
for color!!!)
• All energy pyramids must include color pictures of all
the organisms (hand drawn or computer generated)
and the following terms should be on one or more
sides of the pyramid: (6 points)
• Producer
• Primary consumer
• Secondary consumer
• Tertiary consumer
• Autotroph
• Heterotroph
• On one of your sides with four trophic levels show
the 10 percent rule starting with 10,000KCals energy
at the producers level and label how much energy is
transferred to each level. (4 points)
Flow of Energy
Energy moves through an
ecosystem on a
ONE-WAY PATHWAY
Energy and matter move through
the biosphere very differently.
Unlike the one-way flow of energy, matter is
recycled within and between ecosystems.
• Matter can cycle because biological
systems do not use up matter, they
transform it.
• Matter is assembled into living tissue or
passed out of the body as waste products.
Matter Cycles
Biogeochemical
Cycles
Water
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
*All atoms on earth have always been
here – they are just recycled.
The Water Cycle
Evaporation
Transpiration
Condensation
Precipitation
One H2O
molecule may
take as long as
4000 years to
complete 1 cycle.
Nutrients
• All the chemical substances that an
organism needs to sustain life.
• Every living organism needs nutrients to
build tissues and carry out essential life
functions.
• Like water, nutrients are passed between
organisms and the environment through
biogeochemical cycles.
The Carbon Cycle
ONLY
photosynthesis
removes
Carbon from
the
atmosphere.
Other
processes key
to this cycle:
Respiration
Decomposition
The Nitrogen Cycle
The
atmosphere
is about 80%
nitrogen.
Mainly
bacteria
make this
nitrogen
available to
the rest of the
living world
by chemically
treating it and
making it
available to
plants.
The Phosphorus Cycle
Very localized
cycle with no
atmospheric
component.
Like the
nitrogen and
carbon cycles
phosphorus is
taken into the
food chain
through plants.
Matter moves through ecosystems very differently then
energy. Matter is recycled.
(Follow the blue lines in the diagram above)
Biological Importance
CARBON
Carbon forms the framework for the organic molecules
essential to all organisms
NITROGEN
Nitrogen is a component of amino acids, proteins, and
nucleic acids and is a crucial and often limiting plant
nutrient
PHOSPHORUS
Organisms require phosphorus as a major component
in nucleic acids, phospholipids, ATP, and as a mineral
constituent of bones and teeth
Cycle Homework
1. Create a comic or animation to trace the path of one atom
(carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorous) through an ecosystem.
You should describe the state of the atom, the process of
moving between levels. Your adventure should end where
it started.
2. Create a flyer or pamphlet to explain how a nutrient cycle
affects the success of garden or crop. The report must
contain the role of producers, consumers and
decomposers.
3. Create a flyer, pamphlet, or comic to explain how humans
impact one of the cycles. The impact may be positive or
negative. You must explain how we impact the cycle and if
the impact is positive or negative. You may also wish to
discuss what can be done to improve any negative impact
we have.
This counts as two homework assignments! Be creative!