B1.6 Waste Materials and The Carbon Cycle Flashcards
What are living things made of?
Materials they take from the world around them, and use them for growth and other life processes
How do vital materials get into food chain?
Complex compounds like carbs, proteins and fats, are made by plants from elements like carbon, oxygen hydrogen and nitrogen (from the soil and air) - these plants are then eaten by animals
How are elements absorbed by plants returned to the environment?
In waste products produced by the organism or when the organism dies - these materials decay via the digestion of microorganisms
What conditions are required for microorganisms to work at there optimum? (3)
Warm, moist conditions, with an adequate supply of oxygen for respiration
What affects does decay have to the environment?
Due to the microorganisms respiring, which releases heat, the temperature of the environment increases
What is a stable community?
When the amount of materials taken out of the soil by plants, is balanced by the amount of materials being put into the soil - there’s a constant cycle
What is compost?
Decayed remains of animal and plant matter that can be used as fertiliser
Why is compost good for growing plants?
Because it recycles nutrients back into the soil
How are compost bins made to create the ideal conditions for decay? (1)
They have mesh sides allowing air in
Why are government schemes to make compost from household waste beneficial? (2)
It reduces the amount of material in landfill sites, and the compost made can be sold making money
What is the carbon cycle?
Carbon is constantly being cycled - from the air, through food chains and eventually back out into the air again
How is carbon taken out of the air to begin with?
Carbon dioxide (containing carbon) is removed by green plants and algae - which is turned into carbs, fats and proteins
How does carbon move through food chains?
When an animal eats a plant, the carbon becomes part of the fats and proteins in the animal
What happens to the carbon when animals, plants and algae die?
Other animals called detritus feeders and microorganisms feed on their remains
What happens to the carbon in animal waste?
Detritus feeders feed on animal waste - compounds in the waste are put back into the soil for plants, which are then put into the food chain again
