Nutrient Cycles and Energy Pyramids Activity

Name____________________________ Period_________
Nutrient Cycles
How are nutrients recycled through ecosystems?
We have learned the importance of recycling our trash. It allows us to use something again for another purpose and
prevents the loss of natural resources. But what happens to the waste in nature? Why aren’t we up to our necks in
natural refuse? Why is there always a supply of water? Why is there oxygen to breathe and carbon dioxide for
photosynthesis? Organic compounds in nature are also recycled. This recycling process converts the complex organic
compounds to simple, inorganic compounds, which then can be returned to nature to be used repeatedly.
Model 1 – The Water Cycle

1. Model 1 illustrates how nature recycles
what natural resource?
2. Model 1 illustrates four major areas of

water storage on Earth. Complete the list
of these storage areas below.
Atmosphere, surface water,
_____________, and _____________.
3. Where is groundwater stored?
4. Name two processes in Model 1 in which water is converted to vapor.
5. Describe two methods by which water on land (in lakes and rivers) returns to the oceans.
6. Rain, sleet, and snow are examples of what?
7. If the air contains high levels of pollutants, what effect might this have on water quality?
8. Which process(es) of the water cycle - precipitation, evaporation, condensation, runoff, percolation or
transpiration might contribute to the addition of pollutants to rivers, lakes, and oceans? Why?
9. Which of the processes associated with the water cycle may be responsible for helping to clean or filter water?
10.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?
Model 2 – The Carbon Cycle
11. Model 2 illustrates how nature recycles
what natural resource?
12. Name two ways that carbon (usually in

the form of CO2) enters the
atmosphere.
13. Process D on the diagram uses CO2 from

the atmosphere.
a. Label D on the diagram in Model 2
with the name of this process.
b. What organisms carry out the

process identified in part a?
14. Wastes and dead organisms must be broken down in order for their components to be used again.
a. What organisms in the cycle carry out this process?
b. What would happen if decomposition did not occur?
15. Not all dead organisms are taken in by decomposers. Instead of being immediately recycled, the carbon from
some organisms is stored in a carbon sink. Use Model 2 to answer the questions about long-term storage.
a. List four materials that contain this stored carbon.
b. What is the collective term for these four materials?
c. How do humans use the materials in the carbon sink?
d. What is the scientific name for the process listed in part c?
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.
15. What is another way in which human activity is increasing the amount of atmospheric CO 2, and what are
potential global effects of these changes in CO 2 levels?
Model 3 – The Nitrogen Cycle
16. Model 3 illustrates how nature recycles what
natural resource?
17. Name three types of bacteria involved in the

nitrogen cycle.
Nitrification is a process by which specific bacteria

convert different forms of N-containing compounds
(like ammonia, NH3) in the soil to nitrites (NO2) and
nitrates (NO3). This process is important since the only
forms of nitrogen that are usable by plants to build
their proteins are the nitrates.
18.In what ways is N2 gas removed from the atmosphere?
19.By what process are animal wastes and dead organisms converted to other nitrogen-containing compounds?
20.What is the only form of nitrogen that non-legume plants can take in and use?
21.What do the denitrifying bacteria do during the denitrifying process?
22. If the number of nitrifying bacteria decreased, what effect would this have on the nitrogen cycle and what type
of compounds would accumulate as a result?
Energy Pyramids
All organisms need energy. Energy enters most ecosystems from the sun and flows through the ecosystem by way of
food webs. Pyramids of energy show the energy flow. Energy flows from one level to the next when organisms at a
higher level eat organisms from a lower one. Primary producers are the base, or bottom level, of a pyramid of energy.
Most primary producers convert light energy into food (chemical energy) through photosynthesis. When a first-level
consumer eats a primary producer, that consumer gets energy from the producer. Only 10% of the energy in the
organism at one level gets stored as energy in the bodies of the animal that eats them. Most of the energy is lost as heat
or is used up by the body processes of the organism. This rule is called the “10-percent rule.”
Model 1 – Energy Pyramid
1. What is the original source of the energy that

flows through most ecosystems? What would
happen without this source?
2. If 10 percent of energy moves up to the next

level of the ecosystem, what percentage of
energy is lost as heat?
3. Remember that percentages are based on

one-hundredths. The value 100% is equal to 100 one-hundredths or 100/100. The value 50% equals 50/100,
which can also be written as the decimal 0.50. The value 5% equals 5/100 or 0.05. The value 0.5% equals 0.5/100
or 5/1000 or 0.005. Convert the following percentages into one-hundredths and then into a decimal: 75%, 20%,
and 8%.
4. Assume there are 1000 units of energy in the producer level of the energy pyramid. How many units of energy
are available at each of the three consumer levels? Show your calculations. Hint: First, change the percentages
to decimals.
5. Suppose there are 500 units of energy available at the base of a pyramid of energy. How many units of that
energy will the first-level consumers store? How many units will the second-level consumers store?
6. Why are there usually so few organisms at the top level of a pyramid of energy?
Model 2 - Antarctic Food Web
7. How are the Blue Whale and Adélie

Penguin alike as consumers?
8. What effect would a drop in the size

of the krill population have on the
Antarctic food web and why?
9. Adult krill feed on algae found in open water. Their larvae feed on algae found under the sea ice. More and more
sea ice is melting. Will melting sea ice affect the killer whale? Explain.
Modeling
10. Draw a pyramid of energy to show how energy flows through the Antarctic food web. Use the pyramid above as
model. Include four levels of consumers in addition to the producers in your pyramid. Write producers and
consumers names in each level. Show the amount of energy transferred in biomass at each level using the unit
Kcal (kilocalories). Assume that the total biomass of the producers is 10,000 Kcal. Remember to use the 10%
rule and convert to decimals first.

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Name____________________________ Period_________

How are nutrients recycled through ecosystems?

Model 1 – The Water Cycle

2. Model 1 illustrates four major areas of

3. Where is groundwater stored?

4. Name two processes in Model 1 in which water is converted to vapor.

6. Rain, sleet, and snow are examples of what?

12. Name two ways that carbon (usually in

13. Process D on the diagram uses CO2 from

b. What organisms carry out the

b. What would happen if decomposition did not occur?

a. List four materials that contain this stored carbon.

b. What is the collective term for these four materials?

c. How do humans use the materials in the carbon sink?

d. What is the scientific name for the process listed in part c?

17. Name three types of bacteria involved in the

Nitrification is a process by which specific bacteria

18.In what ways is N2 gas removed from the atmosphere?

21.What do the denitrifying bacteria do during the denitrifying process?

Model 1 – Energy Pyramid

1. What is the original source of the energy that

2. If 10 percent of energy moves up to the next

3. Remember that percentages are based on

7. How are the Blue Whale and Adélie

8. What effect would a drop in the size

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