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The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle Involves Three Major Processes and One Minor Process: Photosynthesis

The document discusses several natural cycles: 1. The water cycle describes how water evaporates from bodies of water and transpirates from plants, forms clouds, and precipitates as rain or snow back onto land and bodies of water. 2. The carbon/oxygen cycle involves photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, and decomposition and describes how carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged between organisms and the environment. 3. The nitrogen cycle involves nitrogen fixation by bacteria, conversion to nitrates/nitrites for plant use, consumption by organisms, and decomposition returning nitrogen to soil and atmosphere. 4. The phosphorus cycle describes weathering releasing phosphate into soil, uptake by plants and animals, and return to soil through

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Rizsel Angelica Valencia
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136 views7 pages

The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle Involves Three Major Processes and One Minor Process: Photosynthesis

The document discusses several natural cycles: 1. The water cycle describes how water evaporates from bodies of water and transpirates from plants, forms clouds, and precipitates as rain or snow back onto land and bodies of water. 2. The carbon/oxygen cycle involves photosynthesis, respiration, combustion, and decomposition and describes how carbon dioxide and oxygen are exchanged between organisms and the environment. 3. The nitrogen cycle involves nitrogen fixation by bacteria, conversion to nitrates/nitrites for plant use, consumption by organisms, and decomposition returning nitrogen to soil and atmosphere. 4. The phosphorus cycle describes weathering releasing phosphate into soil, uptake by plants and animals, and return to soil through

Uploaded by

Rizsel Angelica Valencia
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ENVI

1. The term sustainable development was coined in the paper Our Common Future,
released by the Brundtland Commission. Sustainable development is the kind of
development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their own needs. The two key concepts of sustainable
development are: the concept of "needs" in particular the essential needs of the world's
poorest people, to which they should be given overriding priority; and the idea of
limitations which is imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the
environment's ability to meet both present and future needs.
2. A. Water cycle

Evaporation and Transpiration


Waters from the lakes, oceans, streams and etc undergoes the process of EVAPORATION in which
the water turns into vapor through heating. Waters from plants also turns into vapor through the
process of Transpiration. The water is warmed by the sun and turns into vapor which goes up to the
air. When the water vapor gets cold it changes back into liquid and form clouds. This process is
called Condensation. When so much water is condensed that the air cannot hold it anymore, clouds
get heavy and the water falls back to the Earth in the form of rain, snow and hail. This process I
called precipitation. The water will either fall back on the ocean or land. When it comes back to the
land it will either soak into the earth and become part of the ground water in which plants, animals
and humans drink or it may run over the soil and will also come back to the oceans, lakes, streams
and etc.
B. O2-CO2 cycle

The Carbon/Oxygen Cycle


involves three major processes and one minor process: photosynthesis,
respiration, combustion and decomposition.

Photosynthesis:
o
Green plants/trees take in Carbon Dioxide and water using the chlorophyll
in their leaves and energy from the sun they release Oxygen, sugar and
water vapor.
o The chemical formula for photosynthesis is:

Combustion:
o This is the process of burning. When combustion occurs CO2 is released
into the atmosphere. Natural combustion includes volcanic eruptions,
however most pollution problems occur because cars and factories
release CO2 by their burning fossil fuels.

Decomposition: Is a minor part of the Carbon/Oxygen cycle


o Decomposition is when any organic matter (plants,
animals) breaks down chemically into all the simple elements that they
are made of and these elements return back to the environment.
o For example: When an animal dies all the carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
water, calcium etc. return to the soil and air during decomposition.
o Certain bacteria aid in the decomposition process. (Decomposers).

C. Nitrogen cycle
The Nitrogen Cycle

Organisms require nitrogen to produce amino acids. Nitrogen makes up seventy-eight


percent of the atmosphere, but most organisms can not use this form of nitrogen, and
must have the fixed form. The nitrogen cycle produces the fixed form of nitrogen
these organisms need.

Step 1: A special type of


bacteria called nitrogen
fixing bacteria take in
atmospheric nitrogen and
produceammonia (NH3).
Step 2: Other bacteria
use this ammonia to
produce nitrates and
nitrites, which are
nitrogen and oxygen
containing compounds.
Step 3: The nitrates and
nitrites are used by plants
to make amino acids which are then used to make plant proteins.
Step 4: Plants are consumed by other organisms which use the plant amino acids to
make their own.
Step 5: Decomposers convert the nitrogen found in other organisms into ammonia
and return it to the soil. A few of these type of bacteria return nitrogen to the
atmosphere by a process called denitrification, however this amount is small.
D. PHOSPHORUS CYCLE

Over time, rain and weathering cause rocks to release phosphate ions and other
minerals. This inorganic phosphate is then distributed in soils and water.
Plants take up inorganic phosphate from the soil. The plants may then be consumed
by animals. Once in the plant or animal, the phosphate is incorporated
into organicmolecules such as DNA. When the plant or animal dies, it decays, and
the organic phosphate is returned to the soil.
Within the soil, organic forms of phosphate can be made available to plants
by bacteriathat break down organic matter to inorganic forms of phosphorus. This
process is known as mineralisation.
Phosphorus in soil can end up in waterways and eventually oceans. Once there, it
can be incorporated into sediments over time.

E. Sulfur Cycle
The sulfur cycle contains both atmospheric and terrestrial processes. Within the terrestrial portion, the
cycle begins with the weathering of rocks, releasing the stored sulfur. The sulfur then comes into
contact with air where it is converted into sulfate (SO4). The sulfate is taken up by plants and
microorganisms and is converted into organic forms; animals then consume these organic forms
through foods they eat, thereby moving the sulfur through the food chain. As organisms die and
decompose, some of the sulfur is again released as a sulfate and some enters the tissues of
microorganisms. There are also a variety of natural sources that emit sulfur directly into the
atmosphere, including volcanic eruptions, the breakdown of organic matter in swamps and tidal flats,
and the evaporation of water.

Sulfur eventually settles back into the Earth or comes down within rainfall. A continuous loss of sulfur
from terrestrial ecosystem runoff occurs through drainage into lakes and streams, and eventually
oceans. Sulfur also enters the ocean through fallout from the Earth's atmosphere. Within the ocean,
some sulfur cycles through marine communities, moving through the food chain. A portion of this
sulfur is emitted back into the atmosphere from sea spray. The remaining sulfur is lost to the ocean
depths, combining with iron to form ferrous sulfide which is responsible for the black color of most
marine sediments.

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