MALASIQUI AGNO VALLEY COLLEGE

COLLEGE OF TEACHER EDUCATION

Malasiqui, Pangasinan

Chapter 5
Environmental cycles and processes

I. OBJECTIVES

II. At the end of the lesson,the students should be able to:

a. Identify the significance of biogeochemical cycles.

b. Discuss the processes involved in the hydrologic cycle.
c. Relate carbon dioxide and oxygen cycle and their importance
d. Discuss phosphorus cycle.
e. Analyze an environmental issue and offer solutions

SUBJECT MATTER

A. Content
Environmental cycles and processes
B. Instructional Materials
 Whiteboard, marker, laptop, Power Point
C. References
Environmental Science, page 53-63
III. PROCEDURE
A. Routines
 Greeting
 Prayer
 Classroom Management
 Checking of attendance

B. Lesson Proper
1. ENGAGE
The Teacher will conduct an activity to know the students prior knowledge in
lesson. The students will answer question given by the teacher.

During the said activity, the teacher will ask questions, that is:
What is our topic yesterday?

2. EXPLORE
The Teacher will ask the students the following questions.
1.What is biogeochemical cycle?
2.What is evaporation?
3. What is transpiration?

3. EXPLAIN
The Teacher will discuss the lesson about Environmental cycles and processes.

BioGeoChemical Cycles
The inorganic nutrients cycle through more than the organisms, however, they also
enter into the atmosphere, the oceans, and even rocks. A Biogeochemical cycle
refers to the overall chemical cycles through both the biological and the geological
world.

Reservoirs are those parts of the cycle where the chemical is held in large quantities
for long periods of time. In exchange pools, on the other hand, the chemical is held
for only a short time.

The Water Cycle

The water cycle (also know as the hydrologic cycle) is the paths water takes through
its various states - vapor, liquid, soil - as it moves throughout the ocean, atmosphere,
groundwater, streams, etc.

The sun also provides the energy, which drives the weather systems, which move
the water vapor from one place to another.

Evaporation is the reverse process in which liquid water becomes gaseous. Once
water condenses, gravity takes over and the water is pulled to the ground. Gravity
continues to operate, either pulling the water underground or across the surface.

Transpiration is the biological process that occurs mostly in the day. Water inside
of plants is transferred from the plant to the atmosphere as water vapor through
numerous individual leave openings.

Vegetation generally retards evaporation from the soil. Vegetation that is shading
the soil, reduces the wind velocity. Also, releasing water vapor to the atmosphere
reduces the amount of direct evaporation from the soil or from snow or ice cover.

Condensation is the process by which water vapor changes it's physical state from a
vapor, most commonly, to a liquid. Water vapor condenses onto small airborne
particles to form dew, fog, or clouds.

Frozen water may be trapped in cooler regions of the Earth as snow or ice, and may
remain as such for very long periods of time. Lakes, ponds, and wetlands form
where water is temporarily trapped.

Animals and plants lose water through evaporation from the body surfaces and
through evaporation from the gas exchange structures. In plants, water is drawn in at
the roots and moves to the gas exchange organs, the leaves, where it evaporates
quickly. This special case is called transpiration because it is responsible for so
much of the water that enters the atmosphere.

Precipitation occurs when water condenses from a gaseous state in the atmosphere
and falls to earth.
Interception is the process of interrupting the movement of water in the chain of
transportation events leading to streams.
Infiltration is the physical process involving movement of water through the
boundary area where the atmosphere interfaces with the soil.
Percolation is the movement of water though the soil, and it's layers, by gravity and
capillary forces.
Runoff is flow from a drainage basin or watershed that appears in surface streams.
Storage. There are three basic locations of water storage that occur in the planetary
water cycle. Water is stored in the atmosphere: water is stored on the surface of the
earth, and water stored in the ground.
The Carbon Cycle
Carbon cycle is the movement of carbon, in its many forms, between the biosphere,
atmosphere, oceans, and geosphere.

The global carbon cycle is out of balance, making rapid global climate change
more likely. Atmospheric CO, levels are rising rapidly -- currently, they are 25%
above where they stood before the industrial revolution. Carbon dioxide forms when
the carbon in biomass oxidizes as it burns or decays. Many biological processes set
in motion by people release carbon dioxide.

The carbon cycle is relatively simple compared to water cycle. It is complementary

reactions of respiration and photosynthesis.

Respiration takes carbohydrates and oxygen and combines them to produce carbon
dioxide, water, and energy.

Photosynthesis takes carbon dioxide and water and produces carbohydrates and
oxygen. The outputs of respiration are the inputs of photosynthesis, and the outputs
of photosynthesis are the inputs of respiration.

The chief reservoirs for carbon dioxide are in the oceans and in rock. Carbon
dioxide dissolves readily in water. Once there, it may precipitate as a solid rock
known as calcium carbonate (limestone). Corals and algae encourage this reaction
and build up limestone reefs in the process.

The Oxygen Cycle

Oxygen is present in the carbon dioxide as previously discussed in the carbon cycle;
it is also present in carbohydrates, in water, and as a molecule of two oxygen atoms.
Oxygen is released to the atmosphere by autotrophs during photosynthesis and taken
up by both autotrophs and heterotrophs during respiration.

In fact, all of the oxygen in the atmosphere is biogenic; that is, it was released from
water through photosynthesis by autotrophs.

Carbon dioxide produced during respiration is breathed out by animals into the air.

So oxygen is created in plants and used up by animals, as is shown in the picture

above. But the oxygen cycle is not actually quite that simple. Plants must break
carbohydrates down into energy just as animals do.

Oxygen in Water

Oxygen in water is known as dissolved oxygen or DO. In nature, oxygen enters

water when water runs over rocks and creates tremendous amounts of surface area.
The high surface area allows oxygen to transfer from the air into the water very
quickly.

Oxygen uptake rate (O.U.R.) is the rate at which oxygen is consumed by living
organisms in the water. Since organisms are constantly using up oxygen in the water
and oxygen is constantly reentering the water from the air, the amount of oxygen in
water remains relatively constant. In a healthy ecosystem, the rates of oxygen
transfer (being used up) and oxygen uptake are balanced in the water.

The Nitrogen Cycle

Almost all of the nitrogen found in terrestrial ecosystems originally comes from the
atmosphere. Small proportions enter the soil in rainfall or through the effects of
 lightning. Most, however, is biochemically fixed within the soil by specialized
micro-organisms like bacteria. Members of the bean family (legumes) and some
other kinds of plants form mutualistic symbiotic relationships with nitrogen fixing
bacterial.

Nitrogen is critically important in forming the amino portions of the amino acids,
which in turn form the proteins of our body. Proteins make up skin and muscle,
among other important structural portions of your body, and all enzymes are
proteins.

The Phosphorous Cycle

The phosphorus cycle is the simplest of the cycles. Phosphorus has only one form,
phosphate, which is a phosphorous atom with four oxygen atoms. This heavy
molecule never makes its way into the atmosphere; it is always part of an organism,
dissolved in water, or in the form of rock.

4. ELABORATE
The teacher will conduct an activity. The class will devide into four groups and
each group will answer the question given by the teacher by raising up their
boards/ paper.

5. EVALUATE
Group Quiz: MULTIPLE CHOICE AND ENUMERATION
The Teacher will read the questions twice.The questions are about the
Environmental cycles and processes
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Is the reverse process in which liquid water becomes gaseous.
a. Transpiration
b. Evaporation
c. Precipitation
2. Is the process by which water vapor changes it's physical state from a vapor,
most commonly, to a liquid.
a. Condensation
b. Evaporation
c. Precipitation
3. The simplest of the cycles.
a. The Nitrogen Cycle
b. The Water Cycle
c. The Phosphorous Cycle
4. Produced during respiration is breathed out by animals into the air.
a. Carbon dioxide
b. Gas
c. Oxygen
5. Is the physical process involving movement of water through the boundary
area where the atmosphere interfaces with the soil.
a. Precipitation
b. Infiltration
c. Transpiration
TRUE OR FALSE
6. Transpiration is the biological process that occurs mostly in the night.
7. Organisms play an important role in the water cycle.
8. Runoff is flow from a drainage basin or watershed that appears in surface
streams.
9. Precipitated water may fall into a land body or it may fall onto water.
 10. A Biogeochemical cycle refers to the overall chemical cycles through both
the biological and the geological world.

IV. AGREEMENT
The Teacher will give an assignment. The students will draw one environmental cycle.