cycles

Question 1

the water cycle

Answer 1

Evaporation - sun heats up the water to form into a gaseous state. The water vapour/steam goes into the air.

Transpiration - plants absorb the water vapour and gets into the roots via stems into its leaves. When the water reaches the leaves, some of it evaporates and adds to the amount of water vapour in the air.

Condensation - as water vapour starts to rise is the atmosphere, it cools and becomes liquid again, becomes clouds.

Precipitation - when the clouds get too heavy, they start to precipitate, which brings the water back to the earth.

Collection/Runoff - water moves into the bodies of water, consists of precipitation that does not evaporate.

Collection - water moves into the ground.

Question 2

the carbon cycle

Answer 2

All living things contain carbon, and is found in oceans and the atmosphere.

Carbon is used in photosynthesis, and produces carbohydrates.

These carbohydrates are used to build more carbon-containing compounds within the carbon is returned into the environment via cellular respiration.

Decomposers release carbon found in dead organisms.
The carbon finds its way back into the ground.

Question 3

the phosphorus cycle

Answer 3

Phosphorus deposits are in the rock in the lithosphere.

The phosphorus is then dissolved by water into phosphates to be assimilated by plants.

The phosphates are returned to waste to the atmosphere and recycled by decomposers.

Question 4

the nitrogen cycle

Answer 4

Plants & animals take in Nitrogen gas N2 from the atmosphere.

Plant & animal waste decomposes and adds nitrogen to the soil.

Bacteria in the soil convert these forms of Nitrogen into forms plants use (Nitrate and Ammonia)

When living things die, they are broken down by bacteria and return the Nitrogen into the atmosphere.

Animals eat the plants and then animal & plant residue returns Nitrogen to the soil again.