Cycles of Matter

Cycling of Matter

Biogeochemical Cycles

The cycling maintains homeostasis

(balance) in the environment as they

move from abiotic parts of an

ecosystem into biotic parts and back

again.

1. Water cycle

2. Carbon cycle

3. Nitrogen cycle

4. Phosphorus Cycle

All cycles change the matter

from one form to another

Water cycle-

•Water changes

through the

following
processes:
Evaporation,
transpiration,
condensation,
precipitation

Multiple Choice

How is water distributed through the biosphere?

• Runoff

• Gravity

• Water Cycle

• Sunlight

Multiple Choice

What is transpiration?

• When plants lose water through their leaves

• When water falls from the atmosphere

• When water goes across the land

Multiple Choice

Name two ways that water travels from the land to enter the ocean.

• Runoff and Seepage

• Evaporation and Transspiration

• Percipitation and photosynthesis

Carbon cycle-

•Carbon cycles through out Earth and can be found

in the atmosphere, bodies of water, in rocks and

soil, in organisms and in fossil fuels

•All living things are organic, meaning they contain

carbon.

Multiple Choice

How is carbon dioxide returned to the atmosphere?

• Photosynthesis

• Respiration

• Death

• Fossil Fuel

Multiple Choice

What happens when primary and secondary consumers die? 

• Eaten by producers

• Scavenged by consumers

• Broken down into nutrients by decomposers

Multiple Choice

How does carbon get in the plants?

• Factory Emissions

• Respiration

• Photosynthesis

Nitrogen cycle-

The cycling of nitrogen which can be found in the
atmosphere, plants, animals and the soil. Nitrogen
is essential to form proteins and Nucleic Acids.

Lightning and bacteria convert nitrogen into usable
forms through Nitrogen Fixation.

Animals get useable nitrogen by eating plants

Multiple Choice

How to plants get nitrogen if not from the stmosphere?

• Animals

• Lightening

• soil

Multiple Choice

How to animals get nitrogen?

• plants

• Lightening

• soil

Multiple Choice

What is denitrification?

• when plants decay

• when bacteria turns nitrates into nitrogen

• when bacteria live in the plants roots

Phosphorus (P) Cycle

Component of DNA, RNA, ATP, proteins &
enzymes

- The source of Phosphorus (P) is rock.

- Phosphorus is released into the cycle

through erosion or mining.

-Phosphorus is taken up by plant roots,

then travels through food chains.

Multiple Choice

All cycles change the matter from one form to another.

• True

• False