Carbon Cycle

Carbon Cycle
includes fast and slow pathways

Carbon cycle fast pathways

natural
components photosynthesis and cell respiration

plants inhale CO2

for photosynthesis use it to form food molecules all living organisms exhale CO2 as a waste product of cell respiration

Carbon cycle - slow pathways

large trees live

for hundreds or thousands of years carbon stored in their body tissues until the wood decomposes

 consider the mass of the tree trunk in the

next photo note: that's me sitting on the tree trunk consider the amount of carbon stored in the whole forest (or the tropical rainforests, for another example) learn more about redwood forests and see photos at http://www.nps.gov/redw/

Carbon cycle slow pathways

marine skeletons
and shells are made of calcium carbonate shells fall to the ocean floor compressed sediments become limestone

Skeletons and shells form limestone cliffs exposed when the sea floor rises

 do you
recognize this building?

it's made of
limestone (as are many buildings in Washington DC)

Coral skeletons - calcium carbonate too

billions of coral polyps together form reefs

Great Barrier Reef 1600 miles long

made from coral skeletons

More slow pathways

formation of fossil fuels:
petroleum (oil) coal natural gas

Made from the undecomposed remains of plants and animals

fossil fuels are NOT the same as fossils

Fossils - skeletal remains of plants and animals (body parts replaced by minerals)

Fossil fuel formation

body tissues converted, but still contain stored energy

Fern remains in coal

When the carbon removed from the atmosphere equals the carbon returned to the atmosphere, the carbon cycle is in balance human activities have caused an imbalance in the carbon cycle

Global warming

Phosphorus Cycle

 weathered rocks
release phosphorus dissolves and picked up as a plant nutrient phosphorus passed up the food chain released from wastes by decomposers and recycled reincorporated into sediments and becomes rock

 human activities
cause an imbalance in phosphorus cycle

results in water
pollution excess nutrients cause algal blooms released from farm and lawn fertilizers animal wastes laundry detergents mining activities

Nitrogen Cycle

 nitrogen fixing bacteria

pick up atmospheric nitrogen converted to ammonia ammonia converted to nitrites nitrites to nitrates nitrates recycled by decomposers nitrates broken down and nitrogen returns to atmosphere all steps completed by microorganisms

Steps of nitrogen cycle

Summary - role of bacteria

 root nodules
contain nitrogen fixing bacteria plants with nodules include legumes (peas, beans, clover, alfalfa, etc.) legumes can replace nitrogen in depleted soil without artificial fertilizers

 human activities
cause an imbalance in nitrogen cycle

released from farm

and lawn fertilizers animal wastes from cattle and poultry feedlots laundry detergents food processing wastes human sewage

 nutrient pollution from

nitrates and phosphates algae bloom excess algae blocks sunlight to submerged aquatic vegetation plants die, decomposers multiply excess decomposers deplete oxygen in water fish die more decomposers downward spiral