Module 1 Intro

Module 1—Energy Flow and the Cycling of Matter

Lesson 4—Cycling of Matter

 

Get Focused

 

Imagine you are outside and this thought suddenly occurs to you: “What if all the nitrogen in the biosphere were used up?”

 

Actually, that thought probably wouldn’t suddenly jump into your head on the average day. But if it did you might have thought of it because, like all matter on Earth, the supply of nitrogen is finite. If nitrogen runs out, people are out of luck (nitrogen = proteins = people are made of proteins). Earth has compensated for this detail by its complex and simple processes for cycling matter.

 

So you have the simple answer for the question, “Why is the cycling of matter within the biosphere important to life on Earth?” Life couldn’t exist without it.

 

In Lesson 4 you will examine the cycling or recycling processes of carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. You will also be able to give a more complex answer about how this cycling occurs and further explore the role of cycling in maintaining equilibrium in the biosphere.

 

Consider the following essential question as you complete this lesson:

• How do carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycle through the biosphere?

Module 1: Lesson 4 Assignments

Your teacher-marked Module 1: Lesson 4 Assignment requires you to submit a response to the following:

• Try This: TR 1 and TR 2

• Lesson 4 Lab: Interdependence of Plants and Animals

You can access your Module 1: Lesson 4 Assignment. You can print off the assignment or save the download to your computer. Your answers can be saved on this document to your course folder.

 

You must decide what to do with the questions that are not marked by the teacher.

 

Remember that these questions provide you with the practice and feedback that you need to successfully complete this course. You should respond to all the questions and place these answers in your course folder.

 

Biology 20 © 2008 Alberta Education