Name: sulfur in ecosystems and acid rain
Uploaded: 2019-03-11T09:21:41.000Z
Duration: 1 min 22 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 Sulfur Cycle

As a gaseous molecule, sulfur cycles between the atmosphere, terrestrial, and aquatic ecosystems.

One form, sulfur dioxide, or SO2, enters the terrestrial system from the atmosphere, either as weak sulfuric acid dissolved in precipitation or directly deposited in a process called fallout.

The weathering of sulfur containing rocks made by geological uplift of ocean sediments also contributes sulfur into the terrestrial ecosystem.

From the soil, sulfur then enter the food chain through the roots of plants as sulfates which are consumed by heterotrophs and released into the atmosphere again as hydrogen sulfide by decomposers after the organisms die.

Excess sulfur in the soil and from underground geothermal vents enters the ocean as runoff where it precipitates into sediments on the ocean floor or is used as biological energy source by marine chemoautotrophs.

Volcanic activity and geothermal vents also release sulfur into the atmosphere in the form of hydrogen sulfide gas as a natural process. However, the burning of fossil fuels contributes an unnaturally large amount into the atmosphere which returns to the ground as acid rain, damaging ecosystems.

the sulfur cycle

Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual release back into the soil and atmosphere.

<h4>The Biogeochemical Sulfur Cycle</h4>

Sulfur is essential to biological systems and is a component of certain amino acids, such as cysteine, which plays an important role in the structure of proteins. Sulfur is distributed to terrestrial (i.e., land) ecosystems by the precipitation of weak sulfuric acid, direct fallout from the atmosphere, weathering of sulfur-containing rocks, and geothermal vents.

From the soil, it is taken up by microorganisms and plants and converted into organic forms that can be used by consumers in the ecosystem. When organisms die, decomposers break the organic sulfur compounds down into gases, such as hydrogen sulfide, which is oxidized in the atmosphere to form sulfur dioxide. Additionally, some chemoautotrophs use sulfur as a biological energy source and recycle sulfur molecules directly through ecosystems.

Sulfur is introduced into marine ecosystems through runoff from land, direct fallout from the atmosphere, and underwater geothermal vents. Some of this sulfur cycles through the food chain and is released into the atmosphere as sea spray. The remainder is deposited as sediment on the ocean floor, where it is stored for extended time periods. Over geological time, uplift can transfer the sediment back to land, where sulfur is released by erosion.

<h4>Human Impacts on the Sulfur Cycle</h4>

The burning of fossil fuels, particularly coal, adds an unnatural quantity of hydrogen sulfide gas into the atmosphere, resulting in a higher concentration of sulfur dioxide that manifests as acid rain. Acid rain damages the environment by lowering the pH of lakes and rivers, harming both aquatic and terrestrial fauna.

Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the ...

Education

JoVE Core

Ecology

Ecosystems

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

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 into organic forms that consumers can use.

When organisms die, decomposers break down organic sulfur compounds. This process can release gases such as hydrogen sulfide, which is then oxidized in the atmosphere to form sulfur dioxide. Some chemoautotrophs also use sulfur as an energy source, so sulfur can move directly through ecosystems in that way.

Marine ecosystems also receive sulfur from runoff from land, fallout from the atmosphere, and underwater geothermal vents. Some of it moves through the food chain and returns to the atmosphere as sea spray. The rest becomes sediment on the ocean floor, where it can stay for long periods before uplift and erosion return it to land.

Human activity can change this cycle. Burning fossil fuels, especially coal, adds extra hydrogen sulfide gas to the atmosphere and raises sulfur dioxide levels. This can lead to acid rain, which lowers the pH of lakes and rivers and harms both aquatic and terrestrial animals.

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain

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 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...

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...

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

Trace how sulfur moves through land and ocean ecosystems, how decomposers recycle it, and how fossil fuel burning can cause acid rain.

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain | JoVE K12

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biology

Earth and Environmental Science

Earth and Human Activity

ESS.EES.5.3

Earth's Systems

ESS.EES.2.4

ESS.EES.2.5

ESS.EES.4.2

Pennsylvania State Academic Standards

Life Science

matter-and-energy-in-organisms-and-ecosystems

Matter and Energy in Organisms and Ecosystems

3.1.9-12.H

Louisiana Student Standards for Science

High School

Earth Science

Earth’s Systems

HS-ESS2-4

HS-ESS2-6

Life Sciences

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy And Dynamics

HS-LS2-4

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Ohio’s Learning Standards and Model Curriculum

Diversity And Interdependence Of Life

Biodiversity

Tennessee Academic Standards

Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

BIO1.LS2.3

Virginia  Standards of Learning

HIgh School

BIO.8

BIO.8.b

ES.11

ES.11.b

LS.5

LS.5.a

LS.9

LS.9.c

Minnesota Academic Standards in Science

2.2.1 9L.2.2.1.2

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills

Earth Systems Science

112.49.c.11

112.49.c.11.A.

112.49.c.12.

112.49.c.12.E.

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New Jersey Student Learning Standards for Science

HS-LS2-3

Earth and Space Science

Arizona Science Standards

HS+B.L2

HS+B.L2U1.3

HS.L2

HS.L2U1.21

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Ecosystems: Interactions Energy and Dynamics

9-12.B.2.7

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9-12.EVS.1.2

9-12.EVS.4.8

Next Generation Science Standards

HS-ESS2-1

HS-ESS2-2

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SC.912.E.7

SC.912.E.7.1

SC.912.L.17

SC.912.L.17.10

BIO.13

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B-LS2-5.

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E-ESS2-7.

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LS.Bio.4.2

Ecological Niches

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Symbiosis

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Competition

When organisms require the same limited resources within an environment, they may have to compete for them. Competition is a net-negative interaction. ...

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Ecological Disturbance

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LS.Bio.5.1

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Biodiversity describes the variety of living things at multiple organizational levels: genetic, species and ecosystem diversity. Species diversity ...

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species ...

Biodiversity and Human Values

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What is Conservation Biology?

Conservation biology is a scientific field that focuses on the preservation of biodiversity in order to protect ecosystems while meeting the needs of the ...

Sustainable Development

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Engage in argument from evidence to evaluate various solutions to reduce the impact of human activities on biodiversity and ecosystem health.

LS.Bio.5.2

Analyze the relationships between matter and energy within ecosystems.

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain

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