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Ecosystems and material organisms III - Coggle Diagram
Ecosystems and material organisms III
The Water cycle
Water cycle process
Water from the land and sea is evapourated by the enegry from the sun
Water also evapourates from plants through transpiration
The warm water vapour rises upwards, when it gets higher up it cools and condenses to form clouds
Water falls from the clouds as precipitation, usually as rain but it could be as sleet or snow or hail
Provdies fresh water from animals and plants
Water not taken up by plants or animals drains into the sea, and the whole process starts again
Production of potable water
Water suitable fro drinking
Must be clean and not too salty
Can be difficult to find potable water in areas of drought
Methods to prodcue potable water
Desalinaiton
Salt water is boiled in a large enclosed vessel so it evapourates
The steam rises to the top of the vessel, but the salts stays at the bottom
The steam travels down a pipe from the top of the vessel and condenses back into pure water
Reverse Osmosis
Osmosis - the net movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration
The higher the salt concentration of a solution, the lower the water concentration
Osmosis is the net movement of water from an area of lower salt concentration to an area of high salt concentration
Reverse Osmosis process
1) Salt water is treated for impurities before being fed at a very high pressure into a vessel containing partially permeable membrane
2) The pressure causes the water molecules to move in the opposite direction to osmosis, from a higher salt concentration to a lower
3) As the water is forced through the membrane, the salts are left behind, removing them from the water
Carbon cycle
Recylcing of materials
Materials are constantly recylced through biotic and abiotic components in ecoysystmes
Living things are made from elements they take from the envirnoment
Plants take in oxygen and carbon dioxide from the air and nitrogen from the soil, they turn these elements into complex compounds like carbonhydrates, proteins and fats
Elements are passed along the food chain when animals consume plants and other animals
When waste products of dead organisms are broken down by decomposers, the elements in them are returned to the soil or air, ready to be taken into new plants and put back into food chains
Carbon cycle process
Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmostphere by green plants and algae, the carbon is used to make glocose which can be turned into carbohydrates, fats and proteins that makes up the bodies of the plants and algae (biomass)
Some of the carbon becomes fats and proteins in animals when the plants and algae are eaten
The carbon moves through the food chain, the energy the plants and algae get from photosynthesis is transferred up the food chain
Plants and algae eventually die and decompose, waste produced by animals is also decomposed
Some carbon is returned to the atmostphere via respiration of plants, animals and decomposers
Carbon dioxide is also released when fossil fuels are burnt
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen is needed for the making of proteins forgrowht
Nitrogen is taken out of the air
Nitrgoen in the air has to be turned into nitrates in soil before plants can us it
Process of turning N2 from the air into nitrogen-containing ions which plants can use is called nitrogen fixation
First way is when a lightning bolt can make nitrogen react with oxygen in the air to produce matter
Second way involves nitrogen fixing bacteria, they turn atmostpheric N2 into ammonia
Some nitrogen-fixing bacteria live , while others live in root nodules
Bacteria have a mutualistic relationship with plants, the bacteria get glucose from the plants, and the plants get nitrogen containing ions from the bacteria to make proteins
Nitrogen moves through food chains
Plants absorb nitrogen containing ions from the soil and use the nitrogen to make proteins
Nitrogen is then passed along food chains in the form of proteins, as animals eat plants, and eachother
Decomposers break down proteins in rotting plants and aniimals, and urea in animal water, turning them into amonia
Nitrifying bacteria turns ammonia in decaying matter into nitries or nitrates
This process returns nitrogen to the soil
Nitrogen is returned to the air
Denitrifying bacteria turn nitrates back into N2 gas
No benefit to living organisms
Denitrifying bacteria are found in waterlogged soils
Increaisng soil nitrate content
Crop rotation
Different crops are grown each year
Cycle usually includes a nitrogen fixing crop
Helps put nitrates back into the soil from another crop the following year
When crops are harvested rather than being left to die and decompose, they nitrgoen isnt returned to the soil
Over time, nitrogen content of the soil decreases
Fertilisers
Spreading animal manure or compost on fields rectycles the nutrients left in plant and animal waste and returns them to the soil through decomposition
Artificial fertilisers containing nitrates can be used, but are expensive
Decomposition
Factors affecting decomposition
Temperature
Warmer tempertatures increase the rate the microbial enzymes involved with decompositon work as the enzymes have more kinetic energy, the substrate is more likely to land in the active site
If it's too hot or too cold the actice site changes shape and enzymes denature, which slows the rate of decomposition
Water availability
Decay takes place faster in moist environments
Organisms involved with decay need water to survive and carry out biological processes
enzymes work in a solution
Without water the enzymes would die
Oxygen availability
Many microorganisms need oxygen to respire
Rate is faster when there's plenty of oxygen
Organisms that don't need oxygen, decompose slower
Compost
Decomposed organic matter
Used as a natural fertiliser for crops and plants
Recylces nurients back into the soil
Compost is produced quickest in warm, moist conditions where there's plenty of oxygen
Compost bins create ideal conditions for decomposers, some are insultaed to increase temperature
Food preservation
Storing food in a fridge or freezer lowers to temperature which slows down the rate of decomposition
Storing food in airtight cans stops microorganisms getting in
Vacuum packing removes oxygen from the container, stopping any microorganisms from respiring
Drying food removes any moisture, which causes the microorganisms to die
Calculating the rate of decay
Measure the total mould on an object, change in the area of mould overtime