The Oxygen Cycle

Definition of Oxygen
Oxygen a colorless, odorless, tasteless
gas
Denser than air
Poor conductor of heat and electricity

Step One of Oxygen Cycle

Plant release oxygen into the atmosphere
as a by-product of photosynthesis.

oxygen

Step Two of Oxygen Cycle

Animals take in oxygen through the process
of respiration.
Animals then break down sugars and food.

Step Three in Oxygen Cycle

Carbon dioxide is released by animals and
used in plants in photosynthesis.
Oxygen is balanced between the
atmosphere and the ocean.

History of Oxygen
Early evolution of Earth, oxygen released
from H2O vapor by UV radiation and
accumulated in the atmosphere as the
hydrogen escaped into the earth's
atmosphere
Photosynthesis became a source of oxygen
Oxygen released as organic carbon and gets
buried in sediments.

Photosynthesis
Definition- process in which green plants use the energy
from the sun to make carbohydrates from carbon dioxide
and water in the presence of chlorophyll.

How is Photosynthesis Carried

Out?
Photosynthesis only occurs in plants containing
chlorophyll:
Water is absorbed by the roots and carried to the leaves
by the xylem
Carbon dioxide is obtained from air that enters the leaves
through the stomata and diffuses to the cells containing
chlorophyll.
Chlorophyll is uniquely capable of converting the energy
from light into a dormant form that can be stored and
used when needed.

Steps in Photosynthesis

The light energy strikes the leaf, passes into the leaf
and hits a chloroplast inside an individual cell
The light energy, upon entering the chloroplasts, is
captured by the chlorophyll inside a grana.
Inside the grana some of the energy is used to split
water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The oxygen is released into the air.
The hydrogen is taken to the stroma along with the
grana's remaining light energy.

Steps Continued:
Carbon dioxide enters the leaf and passes into the
chloroplast.
In the stroma the remaining light energy is used to
combine hydrogen and carbon dioxide to make
carbohydrates.
The energyrich carbohydrates are carried to the plant's
cells.
The energyrich carbohydrates are used by the cells to
drive the plant's life processes.

Respiration
Process by which an organism exchanges
gases with its environment
Process oxygen is abstracted from air,
transported to cells for the oxidation of
organic molecules while CO2 and H2O,
the products of oxidation, are returned to
the environment

Earths Layers
The lithosphere is Earth's surrounding layer,
composed of solids such as soil and rock.
The atmosphere is the surrounding thin layer of
gas.
The hydrosphere refers to liquid environments
such as lakes and oceans that lie between the
lithosphere and atmosphere.
The biosphere's creation and continuous
existence results from chemical, biological, and
physical processes.

Today
The Earths atmosphere
consists of:
21% Oxygen
The Earths lithosphere
consists of:
99.5% Oxygen
The Earths hydrosphere
consists of:
46.60% Oxygen
The Earths biosphere consists
of:
0.01% Oxygen

Biological Importance of
Oxygen
Humans need it to breathe
Needed for decomposition of organic
waste
Water can dissolve oxygen and it is
this dissolved oxygen that supports
aquatic life.

Ecological Importance of
Oxygen
Without oxygen at the bottom of the water body, anaerobic
bacteria (those that live without oxygen) produce acids. These acids
not only increase acidity, but also cause a massive release of
phosphorus and nitrogen, two major fertilizers, from the organic
sediment and into the water column.
These same anaerobic bacteria put toxic gases in the water including
hydrogen sulfide (that rotten egg smell), ammonia, carbon dioxide
and methane. These gases are all toxic to fish, beneficial bacteria and
insects.
Lack of bottom oxygen is the cause of odors produced by anaerobic
bacteria.

Ecological Importance of Oxygen

Cont.
Lack of fish enables disease-hosting mosquitoes to thrive, as
mosquitoes are natural food for fish.

Without oxygen at the bottom at all times, beneficial bacteria and

insects cannot biodegrade the organic sediment. Large
accumulations of organic sediment follow.