Resources and Cycles

Master carbon & nitrogen cycles! Includes photosynthesis, respiration, fossil fuels, and resource types.

Carbon Cycle Animation Fill in the missing words using the following word bank: fossil fuels, oxygen, coal, cellular respiration, greenhouse effect, oil, glucose, ocean, and photosynthesis. Plants use CO2 in the process of photosynthesis to make a sugar (glucose) and oxygen(gas). Animals use oxygen in the process of cellular respirationand make more CO2. The oceanis the main regulator of CO2 in the carbon cycle because CO2 dissolves easily in it. In the past, huge deposits of carbon were stored as dead plants and animals. Today these deposits are burned as fossil fuels, which include coal,oil,and natural gas. More CO2 is released in the atmosphere today than in the past because of the burning of fossil fuels. Another natural source for CO2 is methane. Too much CO2 in the atmosphere is largely responsible for global warming. Processes involved in the Carbon Cycle Match the name of the processes with their correct description. Photosynthesis process used by producers to convert solar energy, carbon dioxide, and water into sugars and oxygen Cellular respiration process by which heterotrophs convert chemical energy and oxygen into water, carbon dioxide, and ATP. Decomposition process by which organisms breakdown into organic compounds Combustion process by which carbon dioxide is released from fossil fuels Which of the following is true about the carbon cycle? Combustion reduces carbon dioxide gas. Respiration uses carbon dioxide gas. Decomposition recycles the carbon compounds in nature and produces carbon dioxide. Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and makes organic matter. Which of the following increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? increased photosynthesis reduction of cellular respiration increased usage of fossil fuels increase in waste elimination by animals Which of the following would decrease the amount of carbon dioxide released into the carbon cycle? deforestation reduction of the use of fossil fuels increased cellular respiration by animals reduction in the photosynthetic activity of aquatic producers Nitrogen is more abundant in our atmosphere than oxygen. In fact, over 75% of the gas you breathe in is nitrogen, not oxygen. However, nitrogen in the atmosphere exists as N2, a form that is unusable to most life (and so is immediately exhaled by your body). Nonetheless, organisms need nitrogen to survive, so how do they obtain it? Well, most organisms depend on bacteria to convert nitrogen into usable forms, like nitrates and nitrites. Below, describe the role of (A) bacteria fixing nitrogen as they live symbiotically with some plant species, (B) nitrifying bacteria, and (C) denitrifying bacteria in the nitrogen cycle. Renewableresources are those that either can't be used up (like wind) or can be used up but replaced within a typical human lifespan (let's say, to be generous, 100 years). Wood is an example of a renewable resource, since trees can be planted and harvested within a few decades. Nonrenewable resources are the opposite: things like fossil fuels, which take millions of years to form. Below, classify each resource as renewable or nonrenewable. Renewable Resources bamboo sunlight water Nonrenewable Resources Coal Gasoline