Nitrogen and Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen and Carbon Cycle
Nitrogen and Carbon Cycle
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 poop? 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 the nutrient cycle and be used in nature again and again.
1. Name two ways that carbon (usually in the form of CO2) enters the atmosphere.
a. Respiration from animals and plants, and combustion
2. What process uses CO2 from the atmosphere?
a. Photosynthesis
3. What organisms carry out that process?
a. Plants, algae, and a group of bacteria called cyanobacteria are the only organisms
capable of performing photosynthesis.
4. Wastes and dead organisms must be broken down in order for their components to be used
again. What organisms in the cycle carry out this process?
a. Decomposing fungi, bacteria, and worms
5. What would happen if decomposition did not occur?
a. The carbon would become trapped in the waste and dead matter rather than being
recycled back into the atmosphere, which would result in an ever-decreasing amount of
carbon dioxide available for photosynthesis. In the meantime, wastes and dead
organisms would begin to accumulate.
6. Not all dead organisms are acted on by decomposers. Instead of being immediately recycled,
the carbon from some organisms is kept in a type of long-term storage, or carbon sink. Answer
the questions below about this long-term storage.
a. List three materials that contain this stored carbon.
i. Coal, oil, peat
b. What is the collective term for these three materials?
i. Fossil fuels
c. How do modern humans use these carbon stores?
i. We burn them as energy sources
d. How does our use of these carbon stores affect the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere?
i. Because of our actions, the amount of carbon that has been stored is being
released into the atmosphere, leading to an increase in the concentration of
carbon dioxide. We are releasing the carbon stores at a rate that is faster than
the rate at which nature can replenish them. The use of fossil fuels by humans
has upset the equilibrium that had been maintained by storing some of the
carbon in carbon sinks. This has resulted in an increase in global warming.
7. What is another way in which human activity is increasing the amount of atmospheric CO2,
and what are potential global effects of these changes in CO2 levels?
a. Through practices such as deforestation and ocean pollution, we are contributing to an
increase in the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. This is a direct result of the
decreased biomass of photosynthetic organisms (aquatic algae are a huge
photosynthetic community). Researchers have found a correlation between rising levels
of greenhouse gases and rising global temperatures. This can cause the ice caps to melt,
lead to flooding, and have a significant impact on weather patterns, in addition to
changing the temperature of environments and having an impact on the ability of
organisms to survive.
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
NITROGEN CYCLE