04.01.2020 - Wednesday - Science -

(left side of today's science notes. For the right side, sketch the Nitrogen Cycle! I'll put up my sketch of it later but I would like you to challenge yourself to draw the cycle, using arrows to show how Nitrogen travels through our ECOSYSTEM.)

04.01.2020 – Wednesday – Science –

Nitrogen Cycle notes – Remember to define CAPITALIZED words J

I.    Current events and the nitrogen cycle.

a.     The current pandemic is caused by a virus. All viruses are strands of DNA or RNA (genetic code) surrounded by a protein “coat.” (capsid.)

b.    Nitrogen plays and important role in both the structure of PROTEIN and DNA and RNA.

II. When we take a breath at sea level only about 21 percent of that breath is oxygen.  More than three-fourths of that breath is nitrogen gas.

a.     Nitrogen gas, in our atmosphere, is generally INERT and we breathe it in and out but it can’t be absorbed by our lungs and used by our body in the form it is in while it’s in our atmosphere.

III.      Rain and snow bring nitrogen to the SOIL and certain kinds of bacteria that live in SYMBIOSIS with plant roots break apart the nitrogen MOLECULE and recombine it with hydrogen.

a.     Remember our analogy of atoms to “Legos?” Atoms (individual Lego) can be combined and recombined to make all kinds of COMPOUNDS. From two hydrogen, and one oxygen, atom combining to make a WATER MOLECULE, to Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Oxygen (along with some other types of atoms) linking in very long chains to make DNA and RNA or PROTEINS.

IV.         Plants use the nitrogen compounds and animals are able to get these nitrogen compounds into their bodies – in a form they can now use – by eating plants or other animals.

V.    When animals get rid of waste, or die and decompose, the nitrogen is returned to the soil where plants can use it again (thanks to bacteria) or it’s released to the atmosphere to complete the cycle.