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Energy "flows" through the ecosystem in the form of carbon-carbon bonds. When respiration occurs, the carbon-carbon bonds are broken and the carbon is combined with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. This process releases the energy, which is either used by the organism (to move its muscles, digest food, excrete wastes, think, etc.) or the energy may be lost as heat. "Respiration", which to the layperson usually refers to "breathing", means "the extraction of energy from carbon-carbon bonds at the cellular level" to most scientists (except those scientists studying breathing, who use respiration in the lay sense). The dark arrows represent the movement of this energy. Note that all energy comes from the sun, and that the ultimate fate of all energy in ecosystems is to be lost as heat. Energy does not recycle!!
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SteveCarbon is cycled through living things in an ecosystem through processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and decomposition. Living organisms take in carbon dioxide during photosynthesis and release it during respiration. Carbon is also cycled through nonliving things like rocks, soil, and the atmosphere through processes like weathering, erosion, and volcanic activity.
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What essential nutrients are cycled in the chaparral ecosystem?
In the chaparral ecosystem, essential nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon are cycled through processes like decomposition, nutrient absorption by plants, and nutrient release back into the soil through plant and animal waste. These nutrients play a vital role in supporting the growth and survival of the diverse plant and animal species found in the chaparral biome.
What are 4 substances that can be cycled between the living and nonliving environment?
Water, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus are four substances that can cycle between the living and nonliving environment in ecosystems through processes like the water cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and phosphorus cycle.
what process changes solar energy into organic matter so that it can be cycled through a food chain?
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae, and some bacteria convert solar energy into organic matter (sugars) using carbon dioxide and water. This organic matter serves as food for other organisms in the food chain, allowing the energy to be transferred and cycled through the ecosystem.
Why is carbon cycled more slowly in northern ecosystems than in the tropics?
Carbon is cycled more slowly in northern ecosystems compared to the tropics due to factors such as lower temperatures, longer winters, and slower decomposition rates in cold environments. These conditions inhibit the breakdown of organic matter and slow the release of carbon back into the atmosphere. Additionally, the accumulation of carbon in northern ecosystems, such as peatlands and permafrost, further slows down the cycling process.
What elements are cycled through the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
In photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water are used to produce glucose and oxygen. In cellular respiration, glucose and oxygen are used to produce energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water. So, carbon and oxygen are elements that are cycled through both processes.
