Name:
Block: Date:
Science 10: Nutrient Cycles 1
Science 10: Biology! Carbon, Nitrogen
and Phosphorus Cycles
Nutrients: chemicals that are required
for plant or animal growth and
other life processes: carbon,
hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen and
phosphorus. Stores:
.
These can be found in the
Earth’s atmosphere, oceans and land
masses. Nutrient cycle: the
flow of nutrients
through
biotic and abiotic processes.
Carbon cycle 1. Choose 4 different
colours 2. Make a legend and
colour the arrows, boxes or
circles according to the legend.
¨ Colour #1 – carbon stores ¨
Colour #2 – carbon exchanges ¨ Colour
#3 – How carbon gets into
the atmosphere ¨ Colour #4 –
How carbon get out of the
atmosphere
Answer the following questions:
1. How many kilograms are in
a gigatonne?
2. In what form is carbon
released into the atmosphere?
3. What is photosynthesis? Where
does it occur?
(a) Write the equation for
photosynthesis:
(b) Does photosynthesis use or
release carbon?
4. What is cellular respiration
Where does it occur?
(a) Write the equation for
cellular respiration:
(b) Does cellular respiration use
or release carbon?
5. What is decomposition – where
does the carbon go during
decomposition? 6. Define
carbon sink/store:
(a) where would carbon be stored
in the short term? (there
should be four)
(b) where would carbon be
stored in the long term? (there
should be five) 7.
List the sources that release
carbon into the atmosphere (there
should be five).
8. What is the main cause
of increased carbon in the
atmosphere?
Name:
Block: Date:
Science 10: Nutrient Cycles 2
Nitrogen cycle 1. Choose 4 different
colours 2. Make a legend and
colour the arrows, boxes or
circles according to the legend.
¨ Colour #1 – How nitrogen gets
into the soil ¨ Colour #2 –
How nitrogen gets into the
plants ¨ Colour #3 – How
nitrogen gets into the water ¨
Colour #4 – How nitrogen gets
into the air
Answer the following questions: 1.
List the 8 chemicals that
contain nitrogen (include their name
and formula): 2.
Explain the process of nitrogen
fixation. (a) What
are the two biological methods
of nitrogen fixation? What do
nitrogen fixing bacteria do?
(b) What is the
non-‐biological method of
nitrogen-‐fixation? 3. Explain
the process of nitrification.
What two reactions do nitrifying
bacteria help with?
4. Explain the process of
denitrification. 5. List
four ways in which nitrogen
gets into the atmosphere.
6. List four ways in
which nitrogen gets into the
soil. 7. List
three ways in which nitrogen
gets into water.
8. List two sources of nitrogen
for plants. 9. How
does nitrogen get into animals?
10. Look up the term
eutrophication. What is it?
What happens?
Name:
Block: Date:
Science 10: Nutrient Cycles 3
Phosphorus cycle 1. Choose 6 different
colours 2. Make a legend and
colour the arrows, boxes or
circles according to the legend.
¨ Colour #1 – Phosphorus flows ¨
Colour #2 – Phosphorus stores ¨
Colour #3 – Long cycle -‐ How
phosphorus moves from ocean sediments
to soil ¨ Colour #4 – Short
cycle – How phosphorus moves
through a land ecosystem ¨ Colour
#5 – Short cycle – How
phosphorus moves through an aquatic
ecosystem ¨ Colour #6 – Short
cycles – How phosphorus moves
between the land and water
ecosystems
Answer the following questions:
1. List the five phosphorus
sinks/stores. (a)
Which one is the greatest?
(b) Where is phosphorus NOT
stored? 2. In what form
is phosphorus stored? 3. List
the eight main sources of
phosphorus. Which one is the
greatest? 4. Describe
the three short cycles on the
diagram – one on land, one
in the water and one in
water/land and air. What is the
source of the phosphorus in
each case? Land:
Water:
Water/land and air:
5. The long cycle ties into
the three short cycles. How is
the long cycle different from
the short cycles?
6. What is the main
way in which humans add
phosphorus to ecosystems?
