Carbon/Oxygen Cycle. By Ethan Hempel, Jess Meyers, Hannah Park, and Kelly Chan

Transcription

1 Carbon/Oxygen Cycle By Ethan Hempel, Jess Meyers, Hannah Park, and Kelly Chan

2 Background When animals breathe, they take in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Plants use carbon dioxide (along with water and sunlight to create food) and release oxygen as a byproduct. Plants use the carbon dioxide released from animals. Animals use the oxygen released from plants. This constant cycle is known as the Carbon/Oxygen Cycle.

3 Original Diagram

4 The Full Cycle Plants and producers use carbon dioxide in photosynthesis As a waste product, the plants release oxygen This oxygen is used in cellular respiration Carbon dioxide moves from the air into the leaves of the plants, and oxygen moves from the leaves and into the air

5 The Full Cycle continued All living things get energy from cellular respiration, Carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product This carbon dioxide produced in cellular respiration is used in photosynthesis The rate at which a plant or organism is decomposed affects the speed of the carbon/oxygen cycle

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7 Photosynthesis First Step of the Cycle The process used by plants to convert solar energy into chemical energy Plants take in carbon dioxide and water using the chlorophyll in their leaves They release oxygen, sugar, and water vapor as a result

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9 Respiration Essentially the opposite of photosynthesis Animals take in sugars and oxygen and release carbon dioxide, water, and energy The process of converting molecules into energy through oxidization Two types aerobic - requires oxygen anaerobic - does not require oxygen

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11 Decomposition Small part in the water cycle Organic matter breaks down chemically When animals die, they release carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and water. These elements return to the soil and the environment The matter is then broken down by decomposers (ex. worms, fungi, bacteria) Carbon Oxygen Nitrogen Water

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13 Combustion This is the process of burning materials and fossil fuels Natural combustion (ex. volcanic eruptions) This burning/combustion causes CO2 to be released into the atmosphere

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15 Eutrophication Process of increased productivity of a lake Over enrichment of water with nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus This causes a negative impact on marine life and coastal environment Ex. algal blooms, increased growth of macroalgae, and increased sedimentation and oxygen consumption Over enrichment of nutrients causes problems in the structure, function, and stability of an aquatic ecosystem Changes ratio of dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus eu = well/good; trope = nourishment

16 Carbon Sinks Carbon sink - anything that takes in more carbon than it gives off Examples: forests, soil and the ocean. The most important sinks are fossil fuel deposits Carbon is separated from the cycle and enters the atmosphere naturally

17 Carbonates Carbon dioxide can be removed from the atmosphere by dissolving into water and turning into carbonic acid This weathers rocks Calcium Carbonates are a combination of calcium and bicarbonates Come from marine life

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19 The Problem The fertilizer could have killed off the decomposers in the lake, causing algae to grow exponentially Large population of algae takes in oxygen that the fish need during the nighttime, causing them to die The decomposer was a keystone species keeping the ecosystem in balance The fertilizer could have gotten into the lake and infect the Zooplankton Through biomagnification, the toxin travels through the trophic levels and kills the fish

20 Solution #1 If the amount of Sunlight received by the lake is reduced/controlled this will help stop the growth of Algae in the lake During the day, when there is a lot of sunlight, the algae produce a lot of oxygen When it is nighttime, the algae consume oxygen instead of producing it This kills off the fish because the large population of algae is consuming the oxygen that the fish need Reducing the algae population will help to keep the fish from dying

21 Solution #2 Another solution to the issue is to place a special bacteria that is good for the lake With a large supply of this bacteria, the algae population will decrease and cause the fish to stop dying

22 Human Impact On the Cycle Deforestation: clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land This releases more carbon dioxide into the air and gets rid of plants that produce oxygen Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere Both of these factors increase the carbon dioxide emissions and climate change

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