Do Now for Tuesday, October 15thIn your own words, how is the carbon atom recycled in nature?

Guided Notes For the Carbon/Oxygen Cycle and the Nitrogen Cycle

CARBON & OXYGEN CYCLE:• Producers (Plants) take in CO2 during photosynthesis .

The carbon gets used by the producer and is stored as food in the form of sugars and starches.

• Consumers eat producers and take in those carbon compounds and in turn release CO2 and H2O as wastes.

• As both producers and consumers die, decomposers break down the remains and return carbon compounds to the soil.

During photosynthesis, producers release O2 gas back into the atmosphere which is necessary for consumers to breath.

In balanced ecosystems, producers and consumers thrive. Do humans contribute to a balanced ecosystem?

• Humans do many things that influence CO2 levels:

• Removing producers and burning fossil fuels adds more CO2 to our atmosphere

“The Carbon Cycle”

O2 in Atmosphere

Make Carbon-Containing foods“sugars & starches”

Consumers eat sugars & starches, release CO2

Consumers die, decomposers return carbon compounds to the soil & air

Humans burn oil & other fuels, CO2 released

Clear woods for lumber , burn trees, release CO2

CO2 in Atmosphere

Producers take in CO2

“PHOTOSYNTHESIS”

“The Carbon Cycle”

O2

in Atmosphere

Make Carbon-Containing foods“sugars & starches”

Consumers eat sugars & starches, release CO2

Consumers die, decomposers return carbon compounds to the soil & air

Humans burn oil & other fuels, CO2 released

Clear woods for lumber , burn trees, release CO2

CO2 in Atmosphere

Producers take in CO2

“PHOTOSYNTHESIS”

NITROGEN CYCLE:• Like carbon, nitrogen moves through the air, soil,

living things and back to the air.• Remember, our atmosphere is 78%_N2 gas!

But we know that most living things cannot use this “Free Nitrogen, N2.”

Free means not combined with other different atoms.

• In a process called Nitrogen Fixation, N2 combines with other atoms to form nitrogen containing compounds that are usable to living things.

Most nitrogen fixation is performed by bacteria on plants called Legumes.

Legumes are beans, peanuts, peas, clover and alfalfa. The roots of these plants have nodules which are bumps on the roots where nitrogen fixating bacteria do their job.

• The bacteria feed on the plant’s sugars and the plant gets nitrogen from the bacteria.

• Next, plants and animals convert this fixed nitrogen to proteins and other usable complex compounds.

• Decomposers eventually break down these complex compounds in animal wastes and dead organisms.

• The process of decomposition returns simple nitrogen compounds back to the soil.

• This process can happen many times before simple N2 is eventually released as Free Nitrogen back into the atmosphere.

Make sure yours looks like this!