Educator

Chemical Element Cycles

• While energy flows through an ecosystem and must be constantly supplied, chemical elements are recycled. As an element moves through an ecosystem, it may cycle between several different chemical forms.

• Not all chemical forms are usable by all organisms. It is the job of particular organisms in an ecosystem to convert the chemicals into usable forms.

• In this Lesson, we'll look at the cycling of three important elements for biological organisms: carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. We'll also explore how human activities are altering the balance of certain chemicals in our environment.