What’s
happening
to this
rabbit?
Rabbit Decomposition
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrSHku6-LFo
Is this decomposition?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Mt2E1M6dU&feature=related
No – the ants are scavengers!
Decomposers (Saprophytes)
fungi, and bacteria which
live on dead matter.
* recycle materials in the
environment.
Examples: mushrooms, mold,
and bacteria of decay.
Decomposers
Organic wastes and dead
organisms are eventually
broken down to simpler
substances by
decomposers.
* Through this action,
chemical substances are
returned to the
environment where they
can be used by other
living organisms.
Material Cycles
 In a self-sustaining
ecosystem, material must be
cycled among the organisms
and the abiotic environment.
 Thus, the same materials
can be reused by different
living organisms.
Use the words below to construct
the equations for photosynthesis
and cellular respiration
Oxygen
Water
Glucose
Carbon Dioxide
Photosynthesis:
Water + Carbon Dioxide
Cellular Respiration: Glucose + Oxygen
Glucose + Oxygen
Carbon Dioxide + Water
Carbon-HydrogenOxygen Cycle
involves the processes
of respiration and
photosynthesis.
2
1
3
4
5
4?
3?
5?
1?
2?
?
Nitrogen Cycle
 The nitrogen cycle
“recycles” the nitrogen
necessary for the
production of proteins,
essential to all living things.
soil bacteria break down and
convert nitrogenous wastes
and the remains of dead
organisms into materials
usable by autotrophs.
 Plants use nitrates for
protein synthesis.
 Animals which eat plants
convert the plant protein
into animal protein.
The Nitrogen Cycle
Denitrifying
bacteria
Nitrogenfixing
bacteria
Nitrifying bacteria
Decomposers
Legumes
Nodules of
Nitrogen- fixing
Bacteria
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria within
the nodules (roots) of legumes
1
2
3
4
The Nitrogen Cycle
5
6
1
2
3
4
The Plant
Toilet
Venus Flytrap
Pitcher
Plant