Abiotic Cycles

Standard and EQ Standard Essential Question SZ4. Students will assess how animals interact with their environment including key adaptations found within animal taxa.  How are elements recycled and reused in nature?

Water Cycle

Evaporation When water returns to the atmosphere from lakes, rivers, etc. in the form of vapor. 

Transpiration When the water returning to the atmosphere is in the form of vapor from plants.

Condensation When water vapor becomes liquid in the form of clouds.

Precipitation When liquid water from clouds falls back to earth as rain, hail, sleet and snow

Run Off Water from precipitation flows back into lakes and rivers.

Carbon Cycle Carbon cycles from the atmosphere to organisms and back into the atmosphere

Photosynthesis Plants use carbon in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to make glucose.

Consumption Consumers get carbon from glucose by eating plants for energy.

Cell Respiration Carbon is returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when consumers breath out.

Fossil Fuels Carbon from dead organisms decays into petroleum in the ground (fossil fuels)

Burning Fossil Fuels We burn fossil fuels (gas, oil, coal) and release the trapped carbon as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Nitrogen Cycle We use nitrogen to make proteins Almost 80% of air is made of nitrogen, but it is in a form plants and animals cannot use (N2).

Nitrogen Fixation Lightening and some Bacteria that live in soil and roots can turn nitrogen from the air into a form plants can absorb.

Consumption Consumers get nitrogen by eating

Ammonification Ammonification is when consumers release waste, returning nitrogen to the soil in the form of ammonia (NH3)

Denitrification Some bacteria break down ammonia and return nitrogen to the atmosphere as N2.