Name: carbon movement in living systems
Uploaded: 2019-03-11T09:21:40.000Z
Duration: 1 min 14 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

north-carolina-k-12-science-standard-course-of-study

NC K-12 Science Standard Course of Study

9-12

Biology

ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems- Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS.Bio.4.1

The Carbon Cycle

- [Istruttore] Nel ciclo del carbonio,

gli atomi di carbonio viaggiano
attraverso l'ecosistema.

Iniziando con la fotosintesi,
gli autotrofi, come le piante,

trasformano il carbonio dall'atmosfera,

sotto forma di diossido di
carbonio, in energia consumabile

che viene ingerita dagli eterotrofi.

Questi organismi possono
quindi restituire il carbonio

nell'atmosfera tramite la respirazione

o nel suolo, tramite decomposizione.

Il diossido di carbonio
presente nell'atmosfera è anche

altamente solubile in
acqua: gli oceani, quindi,

costituiscono una massiccia
riserva di carbonio.

Il diossido di carbonio
reagisce con l'acqua

per formare l'acido carbonico
e poi gli ioni carbonati.

Il carbonato di calcio
nell'acqua degli oceani

viene utilizzato per creare
lo scheletro dei coralli

o i gusci dei molluschi. Il
carbonio può essere conservato

per breve tempo nei corpi
degli alberi e nel suolo,

o per lungo tempo nel caso
dei combustibili fossili,

i resti organici di organismi viventi.

Infine, il carbonio conservato
in sedimenti e nel terreno

della crosta terrestre può
essere sciolto nel magma

e fatto fuoriuscire nell'atmosfera
durante le eruzioni,

durante un processo chiamato degasaggio.

Brüggemann, N., A. Gessler, Z. Kayler, S. G. Keel, F. Badeck, M. Barthel, P. Boeckx, et al. "Allocazione del carbonio e flussi isotopici del carbonio nel continuum pianta-suolo-atmosfera: una revisione". Biogeosciences 8, n. 11 (28 novembre 2011): 3457–89. [<a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-8-3457-2011" target="__blank">Sorgente</a>]

Baldocchi, Dennis, Youngryel Ryu e Trevor Keenan. "Variabilità del ciclo del carbonio terrestre." F1000Research 5 (26 settembre 2016): 2371. [<a href="https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.8962.1" target="__blank">Sorgente</a>]

il ciclo del carbonio

Il carbonio è la base di tutta la materia organica sulla Terra, e viene riciclato attraverso l'ecosistema in due processi primari: uno in cui il carbonio viene scambiato tra organismi viventi, e uno in cui il carbonio viene pedalato per lunghi periodi di tempo attraverso resti organici fossilizzati, agenti atmosferici delle rocce e attività vulcanica. Le attività umane, tra cui l'aumento delle pratiche agricole e la combustione di combustibili fossili, hanno notevolmente influenzato l'equilibrio del ciclo naturale del carbonio.

<h4>Ciclo biologico del carbonio</h4>

Tutti gli esseri viventi sono composti da molecole organiche che contengono atomi dell'elemento carbonio. Il carbonio esiste nell'atmosfera come gas di biossido di carbonio, che reagisce con l'acqua per formare il bicarbonato. Durante la fotosintesi, i produttori primari (o autotrofi) convertono l'anidride carbonica e il bicarbonato in composti organici contenenti carbonio, come il glucosio, per fornire energia per la crescita, la manutenzione e altri processi.

Gli eterotrofi ricevono carbonio organico per la crescita e la manutenzione consumando autotrofi. Attraverso il processo di respirazione cellulare, queste molecole organiche sono ripartite per rilasciare l'energia immagazzinata al loro interno. I sottoprodotti di questo processo sono l'acqua e l'anidride carbonica, che viene rilasciata nell'atmosfera attraverso la respirazione, continuando il ciclo.

Il carbonio può anche tornare nell'ambiente come rifiuti animali o come materiale in decomposizione da organismi morti. I decompositori, come batteri e funghi, suddividono questi materiali in anidride carbonica e composti organici.

<h4>Ciclismo geologico a lungo termine</h4>

Il carbonio viene immagazzinato per periodi prolungati di tempo nell'atmosfera, grandi corpi idrici, sedimenti oceanici, suolo, resti animali fossilizzati e l'interno della Terra. L'anidride carbonica proveniente dall'atmosfera si dissolva nell'acqua dell'oceano, reagisce con le molecole d'acqua e viene convertita in carbonati. In combinazione con gli ioni di calcio, questi carbonati costituiscono i gusci di carbonato di calcio di molti organismi marini, come coralli e ostriche. Quando questi organismi muoiono, i loro resti vengono scomposti e possono affondare sul fondo dell'oceano e gradualmente diventare parte del sedimento. Questo sedimento alla fine forma calcare, che costituisce il più grande serbatoio di carbonio sulla Terra.

Grandi alberi longevi possono anche immagazzinare carbonio nei loro corpi per secoli. Come "longer-term sink" (lavandino a più lungo termine) (serbatoio di carbonio), i resti di organismi immagazzinano carbonio sotto forma di combustibili fossili, come carbone, petrolio e gas naturale, in profondità nella terra nel corso di milioni di anni. Il carbonio immagazzinato in profondità sotto la superficie terrestre può ritornare in superficie e nell'atmosfera durante le eruzioni vulcaniche.

<h4>Impatti umani sul ciclo del carbonio</h4>

La combustione di combustibili fossili e legno sta rilasciando notevoli quantità di anidride carbonica nell'atmosfera, alterando il clima globale. Inoltre, la deforestazione e l'aumento delle pratiche agricole stanno influenzando il ciclo naturale del carbonio riducendo la quantità di materia organica nel suolo, diminuendo lo stoccaggio del carbonio e aumentando i livelli di gas serra, come il metano, nell'atmosfera.

Il ciclo del carbonio

Carbon is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and is recycled through the ecosystem in two primary processes: one in which carbon is exchanged among ...

Education

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Biologia

Ecology

Ecologia

Ecosystems

Ecosistemi

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

TERMINI E CONCETTI CHIAVE

carbon movement in living systems

Carbon moves through living systems and Earth over short and long time scales. It is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and it cycles through ecosystems by passing between organisms and by moving through rocks, oceans, and the atmosphere. Human activities, including farming and burning fossil fuels, have changed this balance.

In the biological carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with water to form bicarbonate. Primary producers, or autotrophs, use carbon dioxide and bicarbonate during photosynthesis to make organic compounds such as glucose. These carbon-containing molecules support growth, maintenance, and other life processes.

Heterotrophs get organic carbon by eating autotrophs. They break down these molecules during cellular respiration to release stored energy. Water and carbon dioxide are the main byproducts, and the carbon returns to the atmosphere through respiration. Carbon can also leave organisms as waste or as dead matter. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, break this material down and release carbon dioxide and organic compounds back into the environment.

Carbon also moves through long-term geological storage. It can remain in the atmosphere, large water bodies, ocean sediment, soil, fossilized animal remains, and deep inside the Earth for long periods. In the ocean, dissolved carbon dioxide reacts with water and becomes carbonates. These carbonates combine with calcium ions to form calcium carbonate shells in marine organisms such as coral and oysters. When these organisms die, their remains can sink and become part of sediment, which may later form limestone, the largest carbon reservoir on Earth.

Large, long-lived trees can store carbon in their bodies for centuries. On much longer time scales, the remains of organisms become fossil fuels, including coal, petroleum, and natural gas, deep in the Earth. Carbon stored underground can return to the surface and atmosphere during volcanic eruptions. Burning fossil fuels and wood releases large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which affects global climate. Deforestation and increased agricultural practices also change the natural carbon cycle by reducing soil organic matter, lowering carbon storage, and raising greenhouse gases such as methane.

Carbon Movement in Living Systems

what is an ecosystem?

Ecosystem Zones and Climate

Ecosystems are shaped by living and nonliving parts of an environment, and they can be grouped as terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems depend on climate. Aquatic ecosystems are divided into freshwater and marine systems, and depth affects water temperature and how much sunlight reaches the water. Terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes. A biome is defined by climate and by the organisms that live there. Near the equator, rainforests have high, aseasonal temperatures and high annual...

trophic levels

Food Chains and Energy Flow

Food chains show how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. Each organism holds a trophic level, or a specific place in that chain. The lowest level includes primary producers, which make their own food using energy from the sun or from chemicals. Organisms at the next levels are heterotrophs, which get energy from other organisms below them. Primary consumers are herbivores, and they feed on autotrophs, also called primary producers. Secondary and tertiary consumers are carnivores...

primary production

GPP, NPP, and Ecosystem Energy

Gross primary production and net primary production describe how energy enters and moves through ecosystems. Primary producers, or autotrophs, make their own food. They can do this by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and they can also gain energy by consuming other organisms. The rate at which producers capture and store this energy is called gross primary production, or GPP. Not all of the energy in GPP stays available to the rest of the ecosystem. Primary producers use some energy for...

production efficiency

Energy Transfer as Biomass Efficiency

Net production efficiency shows how much energy organisms turn into biomass for the next trophic level. It focuses on the usable energy stored in body tissue, not the energy lost as heat or excreted wastes. This makes it a key idea for understanding energy flow through ecosystems. As energy moves from one organism to the next, only biomass can serve as food for the next trophic level. The rest of the energy is used in metabolism and is lost over time. Net production efficiency, or NPE, is the...

trophic efficiency

Energy Loss in Food Chains

Trophic level transfer efficiency describes how much energy moves from one level of a food chain to the next. It shows why energy drops sharply as organisms eat and are eaten. In most ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy passes on. This energy loss follows the second law of thermodynamics. In living systems, much of the energy is lost as metabolic heat during respiration. Trophic level transfer efficiency, or TLTE, measures this transfer by comparing the energy produced at one trophic...

what are biogeochemical cycles?

Nutrient Recycling in Ecosystems

Nutrient recycling in ecosystems keeps the elements needed for life moving through living and nonliving parts of the environment. Elements such as water, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are present in limited amounts, so they must be conserved and reused. These movements are called biogeochemical cycles. These nutrients can exist in several chemical forms. They may spend long periods in the atmosphere, on land, under the land, or in aquatic environments. Decomposition is a key part of...

the water cycle

Water Movement Through Earth Systems

Water movement through Earth systems connects the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, the land, and living things. The hydrosphere includes every place where water is stored or moves. Because water supports living processes, its movement is important for ecosystem dynamics. The cycle starts when the sun warms surface water on land and in the oceans. That water evaporates and enters the atmosphere as vapor. Water can also move into the air by sublimation, which is ice changing directly into vapor, and...

the carbon cycle

Carbon moves through living systems and Earth over short and long time scales. It is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and it cycles through ecosystems by passing between organisms and by moving through rocks, oceans, and the atmosphere. Human activities, including farming and burning fossil fuels, have changed this balance. In the biological carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with water to form bicarbonate. Primary producers, or autotrophs, use carbon dioxide and...

the nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen in Soil and Living Things

Nitrogen in soil and living things moves through ecosystems in several forms. Nitrogen atoms are found in proteins and DNA. Most animals and plants cannot use nitrogen gas, which is the main form of nitrogen on Earth. Nitrogen must first be changed into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can move through food webs. About 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen gas, but few organisms can use it in that form. Nitrogen fixation changes nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3).

the phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus Movement in Soil and Water

Phosphorus moves through ecosystems mostly as phosphate ions in soil, water, sediment, and rocks. Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, it is not found in the atmosphere as a gas. It is also often a limiting nutrient, which means it is in short supply in many environments. Phosphorus is important in DNA, cell membranes, bones, and teeth. It is found in minerals, sediment, volcanic ash, and aerosols. As rocks and sediment weather over time, they release inorganic phosphate. That phosphate then...

the sulfur cycle

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain

Sulfur moves through ecosystems as part of the chemical cycle that supports life. It is an important element in proteins and in amino acids such as cysteine, which helps give proteins their structure. On land, sulfur reaches ecosystems in several ways. Weak sulfuric acid can fall with precipitation, sulfur can drop directly from the atmosphere, rocks can weather and release sulfur, and geothermal vents can add it as well. Plants and microorganisms take sulfur up from the soil and change it...

bioremediation

Bioremediation in Soil and Oil Cleanup

Bioremediation uses prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. It is a practical way to reduce harmful chemicals in contaminated soil and water. In agriculture, fertilizers and pesticides can leach into groundwater, streams, and lakes. Microbes and bacteria can help break down these toxins. One example is atrazine, an environmental toxin found in many fertilizers, which can be removed from soils by the bacterial species Rhizobium and Tricoderma sp. Bioremediation...

key terms and concepts

Explore how carbon moves through photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, oceans, rocks, and fossil fuels, and how human activity disrupts the cycle.

Carbon Movement in Living Systems | JoVE K12

JoVE Core series brings biology to life through over 300 concise and easy-to-understand animated video lessons that explain key concepts in biology, plus more than 150 scientist-in-action videos that show actual research experiments conducted in today’s laboratories.

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Carbon Movement in Living Systems

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