1. Cycling of Matter
Chapter 2
Section 3

2. Cycles in the Biosphere
Matter cycles = Law of Conservation of Mass
“Matter is not created nor destroyed.”
*Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass.
*Matter must be cycled through the biosphere
*Matter provides the nutrients needed for organisms to function (to live).

3. Organisms need Nutrients
The bodies of all
organisms are built from
water, (H20) and nutrients
such as,
Carbon (C),
Nitrogen (N), and
Phosphorus (P)
A nutrient is a chemical
substance that an
organism must obtain
from its environment to
maintain life and undergo
life processes.

4. Biogeochemical Cycles
A combination of
Bio = living processes
*cellular respiration
Geo = physical processes
geological processes
*weathering of rock
Chemical processes
*forming macromolecules
Examples
Water Cycle
Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen Cycle
Phosphorus Cycle

5. Set up a scrap piece of paper as seen below
Carbohydrate Lipid Protein Nucleic Acid

6. Macromolecules Carbohydrate
List the elements that make up a carbohydrate.
Important uses for organisms:
Stores energy
Provides structural support for organisms, like the cell walls of a plant.

7. Lipids List the elements that make up a lipid.
Important uses for organisms:
Stores energy for later use
Forms the outer layers of a cell.

8. Amino Acid (protein) List the elements that make up an amino acid.
Important uses for organisms:
Are involved in every function of your body
15% of your total body mass

9. Nucleic Acid List the elements that make up a nucleic acid.
Important uses for organisms:
Store genetic information
Transport genetic information

10. Look at your chart, answer the questions
Which element(s) seem to be found in all macromolecules?
Which element seemed to be the main element the other elements attached to?
Which macromolecules contained different elements? List the macromolecule and its special element.

11. Water Cycle

12. Water Cycle Major Parts – Evaporation-Condensation-Precipitation
97% of water is marine (in the oceans)
3% of water is fresh (in lakes and glaciers)
2% of water is frozen in glaciers
1% of all Earth’s water is usable to organisms.

13. Water and Organisms Humans are made up of 70% water.
Water breaks up into
hydrogen (H) and
oxygen (O) to be used
organisms(macromolecules).

14. Carbon Cycle

15. Carbon Cycle ALL living organisms are made of molecules that
contain CARBON.
Carbon forms the frame or
connection for important
organic molecules.
Carbon and oxygen often
combine to make molecules

16. Short Cycle of Carbon 1. CO2 (carbon dioxide) is released by living
organisms.
2. CO2 is then found in the
atmosphere.
3. Plants take in CO2 to do
photosynthesis, turns CO2
oxygen for animals and
carbon for cells.

17. Long Carbon Cycle Carbon can be trapped in the lithosphere as:
Fossil Fuels – when we
burn coal and gasoline, we
release the carbon that
has been trapped for
1000’s of years.
Carbonate Rocks – called
Limestone – acid rain
releases the carbon in the
rock.
Long Carbon Cycle

18. Nitrogen Cycle

19. Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen is an element found in proteins. Nitrogen is the most abundant gas in our atmosphere. We can not use nitrogen in our cells as a gas.

20. Some bacteria that live in
the soil and water capture
and convert nitrogen into
a usable form.
This is called nitrogen fixation
Once it is fixed, plants absorb
the nitrogen.

21. Organisms get nitrogen
when they eat plants.
Nitrogen is return to the
cycle when an animal..
Urinates – returns it to
soil and used by plants again
Dies and decays
To get nitrogen back to the
atmosphere, some bacteria
cause denitrification that
turns the nitrogen back to gas

22. Phosphorus Cycle

23. Phosphorus is an element that is essential for the growth and development of organisms.
Short Cycle
-Phosphates in water goes
into the soil and into
producers (plants)
-Consumers eat the plants,
and get the phosphates.
Consumer produces waste
Decomposer return
phosphorus to soil.

24. Long Cycle Some phosphorus is trapped in rocks
Long Cycle Some phosphorus is trapped in rocks. As rocks undergo weathering, they release phosphorus slowly into the cycle.

25. Limiting Factors
If an ecosystem is lacking water, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, organisms will not grow and develop as they should. Low levels of these elements would limit how many organisms could live and survive in the system.