While energy flows through ecosystems, matter is recycled. The atoms that make up your body already existed when dinosaurs roamed the Earth, and when you die they will be returned to the atmosphere and the soil to be taken up by other organisms.
Define:
Scavenger:
an animal that feeds on carrion, dead plant material, or refuse. |
Decomposer:
Ecology. an organism, usually a bacterium or fungus, that breaks down the cells of dead plants and animals into simpler substances. |
What is the process that removes carbon dioxide from the air and converts it to glucose?Plants and trees remove carbon from the atmosphere through photosynthesis,
locking it up in the structure of the organism, and in the lifeforms that consume them. An example of this is the Amazon Rain Forest. This carbon will either be released into the atmosphere again when the organism dies, or will be buried and degrade. Other ways include carbon dioxide absorption in seawater, the formation of carbonate rocks, and the biological use of carbonates as in the shells of shellfish. |
Explain why transpiration is necessary in plants.Transpiration takes place on the underside of the leaves. To cool down, evapotranspiration removes/ lowers the leaf temperature through evaporative cooling of the leaves. Transpiration also assists by providing a slight negative pressure in the leaves, this assists in drawing water up the stem.
Transpiration is responsible for uptake of water from soil. It is also responsible for movement of water and dissolved minerals from the roots to different parts of plant. |
Identify the organisms that are responsible for converting nitrogen from the air into a form plants can take up.
Bacteria's.
Use diagrams to describe the following cycles in ecosystems:
Water Cycle – design and perform an experiment to model the water cycle.The water cycle starts off with precipitation (precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapour that falls under gravity.), around to surface runoff (Surface runoff is the flow of water that occurs when excess water from rain, or other sources flows over the earth's surface.), over to the ground, then evaporation from oceans, lakes and streams/ transpiration from plants and to condansation and over and over again.
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Carbon Cycle – explain the role played by plants in the carbon cycle.All living things are made of carbon. Carbon is also a part of the ocean, air, and even rocks. Because the Earth is a dynamic place, carbon does not stay still. In the atmosphere, carbon is attached to some oxygen in a gas called carbon dioxide. Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and grow. The carbon becomes part of the plant. Plants that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal and oil over millions of years. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas and traps heat in the atmosphere. Without it and other greenhouse gases, Earth would be a frozen world. But humans have burned so much fuel that there is about 30% more carbon dioxide in the air today than there was about 150 years ago, and Earth is becoming a warmer place. In fact, ice cores show us that there is now more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere than there has been in the last 420,000 years.Plants have the ability to convert CO2, or Carbon Dioxide into Oxygen
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Nitrogen Cycle – explain why animals and plants need nitrogen.The nitrogen cycle starts with Atmospheric nitrogen, around to nitrogen-fixing bacteria living in roots, down to nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria, over to ammonification (ammonification is caused by organic matter breaking down), over to nitrification, then over to nitrites (NO2), up to nitrates(NO3), over to plants over to animals which continues down to decomposers then down to ammonium and back around to plants which goes down to decomposers then back around to nitrates, over to denitrifying bacteria and back up to atmospheric nitrogen and over and over again. All plants need nitrogen to make amino acids, proteins and DNA, but the nitrogen in the atmosphere is not in a form that they can use. Other plants get the nitrogen they need from the soils or water in which they live mostly in the form of inorganic nitrate (NO3-). Bacteria living in plant nodules in the soil on the roots of the plant also provide the plant with the nitrogen it needs while providing the bacteria a sugar source. Nitrogen is a limiting factor for plant growth
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Phosphorus Cycle - identify two sources of phosphates in soil.The phosphorus cycle is the way that compounds of the element phosphorus, an essential nutrient, are recycled in the environment. Plants absorb phosphorus compounds from the soil, and decaying organic matter, including both plant matter and animal droppings, returns it to the soil. Phosphorus is a vital part of ATP, the energy currency of all cells, and is vital to all forms of life.The phosphorus cycle is not perfect. Losses occur, mainly through the action of rain eventually washing phosphorus into rivers and out to sea. Fortunately, in a stable ecosystem such losses are minimal, and other natural processes renew the supply. In particular, the weathering of rocks releases new phosphorus compounds into the environment. Phosphorus is a major limiting agent on the growth of both plants and algae. Where not enough phosphorus is present, plant growth is stunted.This loss of phosphorus is even more of a problem on farms, where many elements of the plants are moved away from the soil where they grew, thus denying a crucial part of the phosphorus cycle from occurring. Thus, farmers using conventional farming methods must use fertilizers to enhance their soil. Some types of small-scale farming, however, are much slower to deplete soils, and return phosphorus-bearing wastes to the soil.The orthophosphates, H2PO4- and HPO42-, are the primary forms of phosphorus taken up by plants.
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Native Australian plants have adapted to low levels of phosphorus in soils.
Their roots accommodate a fungus that releases phosphates. They also recycle phosphates inside their leaves. Why is it better to plant native plants in parks and gardens rather than plants from other countries?
Australia's native animals consume our native plants, introducing plants from other countries would cut their food supply. Providing our Australian animals with food for their well-being is a neccessity. Also, Many plants from other countries cannot survive in our country as their country of origin may have had a different climate to Australias which the plants couldnt handle.
Identify the main plant nutrients found in most fertilisers.The primary nutrients in fertilizers are three essential elements:
nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K), which are often combined into an NPK blend. Secondary nutrients (sulfur, calcium and magnesium) are needed in smaller amounts for normal plant growth. |
Distinguish between organic and non‐organic fertilisers.Organic fertilizer consists of materials
that come from the remains or the result of different types of organisms. Then microorganisms found in the soil decompose the organic material, making its nutrients readily available to the plants. Inorganic fertilizers are sometimes completely, or at least partially, comprised of man-made materials. Normally, manufacturers combine specific kinds as well as amounts of different elements. |
Account for the fact that plants that are native to Australia may not tolerate large amounts of certain fertilisers.
Native plants require native soil to survive, certain fertiliser's may not contain the need nutrients for the plant. Also, some fertiliser's may change the quality of the soil and enrich it with properties that native plants do not require.