Environmental carbon/nitrogen cycle

Fertilizers and the Nitrogen and Phosphorus Cycle

-Fertilizers, which people use to stimulate and maximize plant growth, contain both nitrogen and phosphorus -excessive amounts of fertilizer can enter terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems through runoff -Excess nitrogen and phosphorus can cause rapid growth of algae -Algae Bloom -Evidence of excessive fertilizers use -Excess algae can deplete an aquatic ecosystem of important nutrients such as oxygen, on which fish and other aquatic organisms depend.

How Humans Affect the Carbon Cycle

-Humans burn fossil fuels, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere -increased levels of carbon dioxide contribute to climate change -carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases= greenhouse gas -Greenhouse gases absorb and reradiate infrared energy, warming Earth

Decomposers and the Nitrogen Cycle

-Nitrogen stored within the bodies of living things is returned to the nitrogen cycle once those organisms die -decomposers break down decaying plants and animals as well as plant and animal wastes (breaks down decaying organisms) -after decomposers return nitrogen to the soil, bacteria transforms a small amount of the nitrogen into nitrogen gas, which then returns to the atmosphere to complete the nitrogen cycle -Soil, Atmosphere, and Ocean are part of the Nitrogen Cycle

The Phosphorus Cycle

-Phosphorus is an element that is part of many molecules that make up the cells of living organisms -plants get the phosphorus they need from soil and water, while animals get their phosphorus by eating plants or other animals that have eaten plants -the phosphorus cycle is the cyclic movement of phosphorus from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment -Phosphorus may enter soil and water when rocks erode. Small amounts of phosphorus dissolve as phosphate, which moves into soil,water, and ground water -plants absorb phosphates in the soil through their roots -some phosphorus washes off the land and ends up in water bodies (weathering) -because many phosphate salts are not soluble in water; they sink to the bottom and accumulate as sediment

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria

-bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia -these bacteria live in nodules on the roots of plants called legumes, which include beans, peas, and clover -the bacteria uses sugar provided by the legumes to produce nitrogen containing compounds such as nitrates -excess nitrogen fixed by the bacteria is released into the soil (better for plant growth)

Nitrogen Cycle

-process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water; plants, and animals in an ecosystem -all organisms need nitrogen to build proteins, which are used to build new cells. -nitrogen makes up 78 percent of the gases in the atmosphere -nitrogen must be altered or fixed before organisms can use it -only a few species of bacteria can fix atmospheric nitrogen into chemical compounds that can be used by other organisms (nitrogen-fixing bacteria) -Protein: building of tissue, muscle -Nitrogen helps in the growth of tissue because it is an added fuel base

Carbon Cycle

-the movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back to the environment -carbon is the essential component of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates (which make up all organisms) -carbon exists in air,water, and living organisms -producers convert carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into carbohydrates during photosynthesis -bacteria in the atmosphere cycles through the system in filtration units -in cellular respiration, carbon is released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide -some carbon is stored in limestone (forming one of the largest "carbon sinks" on earth) -largest carbon reservoir on earth= limestone -carbon stored in the bodies of organisms as fat, oils, or other molecules may be released into the soil or air when the organism dies -this may form deposits of coal, oil, or natural gas (fossil fuels, which increased the atmospheric carbon dioxide) -fossil fuels store carbon left over from bodies of organisms that died millions of years ago -they are located in the surface of earth, deep within the earth and beneath the ocean floor

Steps of the Carbon Cycle

1.) Erosion 2.) Respiration 3.)Decomposition 4.)Photosynthesis (leads to respiration) 5.) Combustion

Steps of the Phosphorus Cycle

1.) Fertilizers (contain PO4 and go into river) 2.)Decomposition (of plants and animals into soil) 3.)Weathering of phosphates from rocks (wind, rain, natural disasters)

Steps of the Nitrogen Cycle

1.)Lightening (N2 to NO2) 2.)H2O into land (aquatic bacteria) 3.) Land Mass ( NH3)