Flow of Energy and Matter

Flow of Energy and Matter in Ecosystems

​Energy moves THROUGH an ecosystem

Matter CYCLES in an ecosystem

Producers, Consumers, Decomposers

• Producers: Plants - they make their own energy using photosynthesis

• Consumers: Animals - they must eat other organisms to obtain energy

• Decomposers: Breaks down dead organisms to provide nutrients back into the environment

Multiple Choice

What type of organism makes its own food?

• consumer
• carnivore
• producer
• animal

Multiple Choice

A mushroom is a 

• producer
• consumer
• decomposer

Multiple Choice

A hawk is an example of a

• consumer
• producer
• decomposer

Photosynthesis

The process of plants taking light energy and turning it into chemical energy as glucose.

Reactants (what goes in) - Carbon dioxide, water

Products (what goes out) - Oxygen and sugar

Multiple Select

What are the reactants of photosynthesis? (What goes in?)

• Sugar

• Carbon Dioxide

• Water

• Oxygen

Cellular Respiration

• The process of the mitochondria turning glucose into usable energy (ATP)

• Reactants (what goes in) - sugar and oxygen

• Products (what goes out) - energy, water, and carbon dioxide

Multiple Choice

The main purpose of cellular respiration is to make...

• energy

• waste

• carbon dioxide

A food chain is a simple model of how energy travels through an ecosystem. A food web is a series of food chains interconnected.

​

Multiple Choice

This is an example of a food chain.

• YES

• NO

Multiple Choice

This is an example of a food web.

• YES

• NO

Energy Pyramids

A model that shows the amount of energy in each level of the food chain.

Multiple Select

An energy pyramid...

• models the energy in an ecosystem

• shows how energy gets less through each level because it gets smaller

• is found in Egypt

Poll

I feel ready for my assessment tomorrow!

• Yes

• No

• Kind of..

​Water Cycle

Open Ended

List as many steps as you can of the water cycle.

...a pattern of steps that move water throughout the Earth.
-this cycle helps to maintain life on Earth.
-DRIVEN BY THE SUN

​

​The water cycle is...

​Water goes up in the form of gas.

​​Evaporation

​Water starts to change into liquid form and creates clouds.

Condensation

Water falls from the sky in liquid (and sometimes solid) form.

​​Precipitation

​Water drains down sloped areas toward sea level.

Runoff

​Water within plant life is evaporated.
-"plant sweat"

​​Transpiration

​Water flows downward into pockets of air into soil.
-forms the "zone of saturation"

Infiltration

Multiple Choice

What are examples of precipitation?

• rain, snow, sleet, hail
• sunshine, clouds, wind
• fog, mist, dew
• thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes

Multiple Choice

What is runoff?

• The process of water seeping into the ground.
• The flow of water that occurs when water is absorbed into the ground.
• The flow of water that occurs when excess water is not absorbed into the ground.
• The process of water evaporating into the atmosphere.

​When we add the loss of water from water bodies and the loss of water from plants, we call that evotranspiration.

​

The water cycle is a self balancing system...

​

​Over ocean....

Evaporation > Precipitation

​Over land...

Evaporation < Precipitation

​Infiltration and runoff evens it out.

Fill in the Blank

What part of the water cycle is associated with this?

Labelling

Put the steps in the correct spot on the diagram.

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

evaporation

collection

runoff

precipitation

Multiple Choice

Where is evaporation greater than precipitation?

• Oceans
• Land

Match

Match the following

Evaporation

Condensation

Precipitation

Transpiration

• Evaporation

• Condensation

• Precipitation

• Transpiration

Carbon Cycle

How does the carbon cycle move carbon from the atmosphere to living things and back again?

What is the Carbon Cycle?

The carbon cycle is the process by which producers take carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and change it into a form that can be used by consumers

This is important because consumers cannot use carbon in its atmospheric form (carbon dioxide), and they need the carbon to build macromolecules.

4 Steps: Photosynthesis, Respiration, Decomposition and Combustion

Multiple Select

Flashback! Choose the 4 macromolecules.

• Carbohydrate

• Lipid

• Protein

• Potassium

• Nucleic Acid

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT found in all macromolecules?

• Carbon

• Nitrogen

• Oxygen

Photosynthesis

During photosynthesis, producers take carbon dioxide out of the air and, using water and sunlight, convert it into glucose (sugar) and oxygen

The carbon found in glucose (C₆H₁₂O₆) is a form that can be used by consumers and other living things

Photosynthesis changes carbon and light energy from the sun into forms that can be used by living things

Multiple Select

*Choose all that apply* What are benefits of photosynthesis?

• It makes food that plants and animals can use for energy

• It changes light energy from the sun into a form that can be used by living things

• It changes carbon into a form that can be used by living things

Multiple Choice

In which organelle does photosynthesis take place?

• Chloroplast

• Mitochondria

• Nucleus

Open Ended

In your own words, describe why photosynthesis is so important to humans.

Cellular Respiration

During cellular respiration, both consumers and producers take glucose and oxygen and use them to produce energy

The byproducts of this process, carbon dioxide and water, are released back into the atmosphere to be used again for photosynthesis

Multiple Choice

How are cellular respiration and photosynthesis related?

• They are the same reaction, which means that their reactants (starting substances) and their products (ending substances) are exactly the same

• They are opposite reactions, which means the products (ending substances) of photosynthesis become the reactants (starting substances) of cellular respiration and vice versa

• Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are not related

Multiple Choice

FLASHBACK! In which organelle does cellular respiration take place?

• Chloroplast

• Nucleus

• Mitochondria

Decomposition

Decomposition is the process of breaking down dead organic (once living) and non-organic material

This process returns nutrients to the soil and can form fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas)

Multiple Choice

Which of the following living things is responsible for decomposition?

• Plants

• Animals

• Bacteria

Open Ended

What do you think would happen on Earth if decomposition did not take place?

Combustion

Combustion is the burning of materials to release energy

The byproduct of the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) is the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere

Releasing too much carbon dioxide increases the greenhouse effect and contributes to global warming

Multiple Select

Choose the three fossil fuels

• natural gas

• water

• coal

• hydrogen

• oil

Open Ended

RESEARCH! Use Google or Dictionary.com to find the definition of the Greenhouse Effect

Conclusion

The carbon cycle is the Earth’s ultimate form of recycling and is a delicate balance.

Burning more fossil fuels has created more than 30% more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than 150 years ago – this is making the earth become warmer.

Helping to keep our environment clean by burning fewer fossil fuels will assure this cycle keeps going for our future generations.

Open Ended

THINK! How might the death of all of the producers in an ecosystem affect the carbon cycle?

Drag and Drop

Where does photosynthesis occur?

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

mitochondria

chloroplasts

cytoplasm

Hotspot

Select all of the precipitation in the picture

Multiple Choice

When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the                       as carbon dioxide.

• Water
• Atmosphere
• Sun
• Air

Multiple Choice

Organisms need nitrogen in order to...

• To breathe

• To obtain water for growth

• To build proteins & DNA

• To regulate temperature

Multiple Choice

Gas that makes up 78% of our atmosphere.

• Oxygen

• Nitrogen

• Hydrogen

• Carbon Dioxide

Multiple Choice

Based on the picture, what is the chemical formula for atmospheric nitrogen?

• N

• N₂

• NH₃

• NO₃

Multiple Choice

Plants and animals cannot use nitrogen directly from the air.

• True
• False

Multiple Choice

Which of these nitrogen cycle processes converts atmospheric nitrogen to a soil form of nitrogen that is usable by plants?

• nitrogen fixation

• nitrification

• denitrification

• ammonification

Multiple Choice

Bacteria fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form plants can use.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

How nitrogen is "fixed" into useable form for plants...

• through action of bacteria only
• through lightning only
• through action of bacteria & lightning
• through photosynthesis

Multiple Choice

How do animals get the nitrogen they need?

• From the air they breathe

• From the water they drink

• From the food they eat

• From the sun

Multiple Choice

How does fertilizer affect the ecosystem?

• the bacteria reproduce quicker

• causes increase in rain, thereby increasing flooding of ponds and lakes

• create large algae blooms in the water

• cause the nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil to be more productive

Match

Match the following steps of the nitrogen cycle to how they move bacteria.

• Atmosphere to Geosphere

• Geosphere to Biosphere

• Biosphere to Geosphere

• Geosphere to Atmosphere

Nitrogen Fixation

Assimilation

Ammonification

Denitrification

• Nitrogen Fixation

• Assimilation

• Ammonification

• Denitrification

Labelling

Label the organisms that are part of the Nitrogen Cycle!

Drag labels to their correct position on the image

Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria

Nitrifying Bacteria

Decomposers

Nitrifying Bacteria

Denitrifying Bacteria