Recycling Materials
Biology: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 5.1.17
Recycling Materials
In a stable community or ecosystem, the processes that remove materials or nutrients from the community are balanced by the processes that return those nutrients, creating continuous cycles:
The carbon cycle
- Carbon is present in all living organisms.
- When organisms die, the carbon is recycled so that it can be used by future generations.
- When decomposers process decaying matter, they respire, releasing carbon dioxide back into the air.
The nitrogen cycle
- Nitrogen is present in all living organisms.
- It moves through food chains and is recycled when organisms die.
- Decomposers are also responsible for recycling nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates back into the community from dead organisms.
Test yourself on Recycling Materials
Which of the following is carbon present in?
How is carbon from living organisms recycled by decomposers?