topic 4.3 : carbon cycling
Essential Idea:
- Continued availability of carbon in ecosystems depends on carbon cycling.
Lesson Summary:
4.3U1: Autotrophs convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and other carbon compounds.
4.3U2: In aquatic ecosystems carbon is present as dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate ions.
4.3U3: Carbon dioxide diffuses from the atmosphere or water into autotrophs.
4.3U4: Carbon dioxide is produced by respiration and diffuses out of organisms into water or the atmosphere.
4.3U5: Methane is produce from organic matter in anaerobic conditions by methanogenic archaeans and some diffuses into the atmosphere or accumulates in the ground.
4.3U6: Methane is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere.
4.3U7: Peat forms when organic matter is not fully decomposed because of acidic and/or anaerobic conditions in waterlogged soils.
4.3U8: Partially decomposed organic matter from past geological eras was converted either into coal or into oil and gas which accumulates in porous rocks.
4.3U9: Carbon dioxide is produced by the combustion of biomass and fossilized organic matter.
4.3U10: Animals such as reef building corals and molluscs have hard parts that are composed of calcium carbonate and can become fossilized in limestone.
4.3A1: Estimation of carbon fluxes due to processes in the carbon cycle.
4.3A2: Analysis of data from air monitoring stations to explain annual fluctuations.
4.3Skill1: Construct a diagram of the carbon cycle.
- Carbon does not increase or decrease within the system but rather fluxes between sinks via basic geological and biological processes. Accurate measurements of carbon allow estimation of fluxes due to movement of carbon with in the Earth system.
4.3U1: Autotrophs convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates and other carbon compounds.
4.3U2: In aquatic ecosystems carbon is present as dissolved carbon dioxide and hydrogen carbonate ions.
4.3U3: Carbon dioxide diffuses from the atmosphere or water into autotrophs.
4.3U4: Carbon dioxide is produced by respiration and diffuses out of organisms into water or the atmosphere.
4.3U5: Methane is produce from organic matter in anaerobic conditions by methanogenic archaeans and some diffuses into the atmosphere or accumulates in the ground.
4.3U6: Methane is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water in the atmosphere.
4.3U7: Peat forms when organic matter is not fully decomposed because of acidic and/or anaerobic conditions in waterlogged soils.
4.3U8: Partially decomposed organic matter from past geological eras was converted either into coal or into oil and gas which accumulates in porous rocks.
4.3U9: Carbon dioxide is produced by the combustion of biomass and fossilized organic matter.
4.3U10: Animals such as reef building corals and molluscs have hard parts that are composed of calcium carbonate and can become fossilized in limestone.
4.3A1: Estimation of carbon fluxes due to processes in the carbon cycle.
4.3A2: Analysis of data from air monitoring stations to explain annual fluctuations.
4.3Skill1: Construct a diagram of the carbon cycle.