Bio 2.1.1- Analyze the flow of energy and cycling of matter (water, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) through ecosystems relating the significance of each to maintaining the health and sustainability of an ecosystem.
There are three cycles of an ecosystem. These cycles include the water cycle, the carbon cycle, and the nitrogen cycle.
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Earth's water is always in movement, and the natural water cycle, also known as the hydrologic cycle, describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the Earth. Water is always changing states between liquid, vapor, and ice.
Water is very important to every ecosystem and organisms need it to survive.
Water is very important to every ecosystem and organisms need it to survive.
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/1/7/28177325/3380839.jpg)
The second cycle is the carbon cycle. All living things are made of carbon. Carbon is also a part of the ocean, air, and even rocks. Plants use carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their own food and grow. The carbon becomes part of the plant. Plants that die and are buried may turn into fossil fuels made of carbon like coal and oil over millions of years. When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon enters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
![Picture](/uploads/2/8/1/7/28177325/9458687.png)
The third cycle is the nitrogen cycle. 80% of the air in our atmosphere is made of nitrogen. Your body does not use the nitrogen that you inhale with each breath. But, like all living things, your body needs nitrogen. Your body gets the nitrogen it needs to grow from food.
Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil.
Most plants get the nitrogen they need from soil.
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