Matter+Cycles

=Matter Cycles=

Matter is anything that has substance to it and in biology we are interested in three key types of matter: Water, Carbon, and Nitrogen. All three of these elements are cycled through the environment as they are used for different things. Your job will be to trace the path of each element through the ecosystem by completing the following assignment.

Water Cycle:
1. Go to Water Cycle Video and watch the video once. 2. Click on the Background Essay below and read the first paragraph. 3. Watch the video again and describe the following terms: precipitation, evaporation, transpiration, and condensation.

Get into a group
4. Draw a representation of the water cycle, showing how water moves from one place to another. You can use this website for help: Water Cycle Animation. 5. Use the above to answer the following questions:
 * Name two processes in which water is converted to vapor.
 * If the air contains high levels of pollutants, what effect might this have on water quality?
 * Which process(es) of the water cycle—precipitation, evaporation, condensation, or transpiration—might contribute to the addition of pollutants to rivers, lakes, and oceans? Why?
 * Which of the processes associated with the water cycle might be responsible for helping to clean or filter the water?
 * The water cycle is a closed system, meaning no water enters from beyond the system nor leaves the system. What does that say about the importance of keeping the water on Earth free from pollution?

Carbon Cycle:
1. Go to Carbon Cycle Animation. On this site you will click on a process and they will show you on the diagram where the carbon is going. 2. Use the diagram to explain how the following terms are involved in the carbon cycle: photosynthesis, animal respiration, fossilization, and combustion.

Get into a group
3. Draw a representation of the carbon cycle, showing how carbon moves from one place to another.

4. Use the above to answer the following questions:
 * Name two ways that carbon (usually in the form of CO2 ) enters the atmosphere.
 * List five examples of combustion in your everyday life.
 * Many of the carbon-based fuels are categorized as fossil fuels because they formed from decayed organisms over millions of years. List as many examples of fossil fuels as you can.
 * How does our use of these carbon stores affect the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?
 * Read This! Carbon dioxide (CO2 ) is one of the so-called greenhouse gases. These gases hold heat energy in the atmosphere, which raises the overall temperature of the Earth. This helps maintain the Earth’s biosphere, but also has led to environmental concerns. The more CO2 in the atmosphere, the higher the Earth’s average temperature will be.
 * What is another way other than burning fossil fuels in which human activity is increasing the amount of atmospheric CO2, and what are potential global effects of these changes in CO2 levels?

Nitrogen Cycle:
1. Go to Nitrogen Cycle Animation and press play to watch nitrogen go through the cycle. 2. Use the diagram to explain how the following terms are involved in the nitrogen cycle: Nitrogen Fixation, Nitrification, and Denitrification,

Get into a group
3. Draw a representation of the carbon cycle, showing how nitrogen moves from one place to another.

4. Use the above to answer the following questions:
 * In what ways is N2 gas removed from the atmosphere?
 * Name 3 ways bacteria are involved in the nitrogen cycle.
 * In order to continually use the same area of land for agriculture, some farmers apply fertilizers to improve the level of nitrates in the soil. An alternative to intensive use of fertilizer is to plow the roots of the leguminous plants back into the soil and leave the area unplanted for a season. Why would a farmer plow this type of plant roots back into the soil and what would be the benefit of turning over the soil and leaving the old plant roots?