FORM 3 LEARNING GUIDE MODULE CODE

3. Topic Investigating the Biosphere II Module Code 3.0

3.2 Sub-topic Biogeochemical Processes Lesson code 3.2.1

Grade Level 7
Subject Integrated Science 1
Subject/Topic Oxygen-Carbon Cycle
Time Frame 30 minutes
Target number of sessions 1 meeting
Resources/Materials needed Laptop/smart phone/iPad/tablet; notebook; pen

Components Tasks TA ATA

(min)a (min)b
Target After completing this module, you should be able to: 1
1. trace the path of the oxygen-carbon cycle and how it affects
living things;
2. identify the role of the organisms in the oxygen-carbon cycle;
and
3. identify the chemical reactions involved in the oxygen-carbon
cycle.

Hook The Earth’s atmosphere is composed of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), 2

carbon dioxide (0.04%) and the rest are water vapor and other gases.
This same set of gases goes in and out of our nose every time we breath
as shown in Figure 1 below.

Data Source: https://www.edb.gov.hk

Figure 1. Air composition of unbreathed and breathed air.

Do you notice any difference? How do you explain the changes in the
oxygen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor contents in the breathed air?
Write your answer on the space provided below.
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Ignite Oxygen and carbon are two of the essential elements needed by all 18
living organisms. Oxygen is needed by plants and animals to break
down food (glucose) in order to get the energy they need. It is also
present in the water that we drink. Carbon, on the other hand, is
considered as the building block of life as all organic matter is built
around carbon atoms. Interestingly, these two elements are also the two
most abundant elements of the human body, with oxygen and carbon
comprising 65% and 18% by mass, respectively (see Figure 2).

Figure 2. Main elements that compose the human body

(including water)

[Image credit: ‘201 Elements of the Human Body.02’ by OpenStax College, available at
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:201_Elements_of_the_Human_Body.02.svg]

Animals consume oxygen and plants fix carbon to produce food yet the
amount of these two elements in Earth is the same as before. These two
elements just move between the atmosphere, ocean, rocks and soil and
living matter, and as they move, they undergo series of chemical
reactions, changing from one form to another.

Before we go further into our topic, let us first understand what

chemical reaction is.
 Chemical Reaction
Chemical reaction is an integral part of our everyday
lives. From cooking our food to digesting it, or even just
the act of breathing/respiring, we perform chemical
reactions.

Figure 3. Digestion as one example of

chemical reactions in our everyday lives

[Image credit: ‘Symptoms-stomach-pain’ by CDC,

US Department of Health and Human Services]

During a chemical reaction, atoms of one or more

substances rearrange to form one or more new
substances. This is usually summed up in written form
called chemical equation. A chemical equation shows the
reacting substances, called reactants, to the left of an
arrow that points toward the newly formed substances,
called products. For example, in the process of
dissolving rock salt in water, the chemical equation is:
NaCl ⟶ Na+ + Cl−

Carbon Cycle

Carbon cycle has two components: slow and fast cycle. The difference
between the two lies on what path the carbon takes. If the carbon takes
the geological pathway (from atmosphere to rocks, soil, and ocean and
then back to atmosphere) then it is considered as slow carbon cycle.
However, if the carbon takes the biological pathway (from atmosphere
to living matter and then back to atmosphere) then it is considered as
fast carbon cycle.

A. The Slow Carbon Cycle

As the word suggests, this cycle or movement of carbon between
reservoirs, such as rocks, soil, ocean and atmosphere, takes around an
average of 100 to 200 million years to complete (Riebeek, 2011).

On land: Whenever there is precipitation, carbon in the form of carbon

dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, is dissolved in water droplets and
drawn to the ground due to gravity. This dissolution produces a weak
acid called carbonic acid that helps in weathering of rocks chemically.
This weathering usually produces ions, such as calcium ions (Ca2+),
which will be carried to the ocean later by rivers and streams.

In the ocean: The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is aerated and

dissolved in the ocean water. This dissolved carbon dioxide undergoes
a series of chemical changes, from forming carbonic acid to
bicarbonate ions (HCO3–) to carbonate ions (CO3–) (OpenStax College,
Concepts of Biology, 2013).

The calcium ions from weathered rocks on land and carbonate ions
from dissolved carbon dioxide in ocean are utilized by the shell- and
skeleton-forming marine organisms to form their calcium carbonate
shells (see examples below). When these organisms die, their remains
sink to the bottom of the ocean floor.

Figure 4. Corals (left) and sea shells (right) utilized calcium carbonate in
making theirImage
skeletons.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org

Over geologic (very long period) time, the remains and other sediments
will become another layer of rock which will lock carbon for another
long period of time. From here, there are few ways in which carbon can
go back into the atmosphere: movement of tectonic plates (e.g.
subduction) and volcanic eruptions.

B. Fast Carbon Cycle

In this cycle, the movement of carbon is fast as this is mainly due to the
movement of carbon through living matter or the biosphere. On
average, the movement can range from minutes to few years per cycle
(Riebeek, 2011).

Figure 5. Fast carbon cycle

The carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is taken up by autotrophs, such

as plants and phytoplankton, and fixed it with the help of solar energy
and water to produce glucose (a simple carbohydrate) in the process
called photosynthesis (see the chemical reaction below).

Photosynthesis:
6CO2 + 6H2 O + Energy → C6 H12 O6 + 6O2
carbon dioxide water solar energy glucose oxygen
From here, there are four possible ways for carbon to go back into the
atmosphere:
(1) autotrophs break down their own produced glucose in order to
get the energy they need for their growth (cellular
respiration);
(2) animals eat these autotrophs and break down the autotrophs’
glucose to get the energy they need (cellular respiration);
(3) autotrophs and animals die and decay (decomposition); or
(4) fire consumes (combustion) plants/animals.

All these chemical reactions involve using oxygen in breaking down

glucose (as in 1 and 2) or organic matter (as in 3 and 4) in order to
release carbon dioxide, water and energy (see the chemical reactions
below).

Cellular Respiration:
C6 H12 O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2 + 6H2 O + Energy
glucose oxygen carbon dioxide water vapor chemical energy

Combustion/ Decomposition:
Organic matter + O2 → CO2 + H2 O + Energy
Oxygen carbon dioxide water chemical energy

Have you ever wonder why breaking of carbon-

based compound, such as glucose (C6 H12 O6 ),
produces energy?

Carbon has the ability to form complex yet stable bonds or

structures with other elements such as oxygen, hydrogen
and nitrogen. The bonds can be in a form of chains or rings
(see Figure 6). Attaining these structures requires
considerable amount of energy, and in the process, this
energy is stored within the bonds, like storing charge in a
rechargeable battery.

Figure 6. Examples of carbon chain (left) and rings (center &

right).
[Image credit: (Left) ‘Pentane’ by OpenStax, Chemistry 2e; (center/right)
‘Benzene and Pyridine’ by OpenStax, Biology 2e]

When these structures are broken down, the stored energy

is released as ATPs (adenosine triphosphates) which can be
used by both plants and animals for cellular work.
Oxygen Cycle

You might have observed the involvement of oxygen (O2 ) in the fast
carbon cycle part. This is because these two cycles are interconnected.
This interconnection is shown in Figure 7.

Figure 7. Interconnection of oxygen and carbon cycle

[Image credit: ‘The Photosynthesis/Cellular Respiration Cycle’ by Severena Johnston available

at https://sites.google.com/site/johnstonsken/7th-
grade/thephotosynthesiscellularrespirationcycle]

Plants and other heterotrophs, such as phytoplankton and

photosynthetic bacteria, give off oxygen in exchange for carbon
dioxide and water during photosynthesis. This oxygen is then taken up
by animals [and plants] to break down glucose and release carbon
dioxide and water vapor during cellular respiration. The carbon
dioxide is then reabsorbed by plants and the cycle continues.

Both oxygen and carbon cycle help maintain the balance of oxygen and
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Imbalance in the Carbon-Oxygen Cycle

The demand for the finite fossil fuel reserve has greatly increased from
the onset of the Industrial Revolution in the 1700s. This has pushed the
natural rate of release of carbon dioxide from natural levels to an all-
time high (Ritchie & Roser, 2017). Carbon dioxide being a greenhouse
gas traps some wavelengths of energy from bouncing back to space. As
more and more heat is trapped, the global temperature increases
affecting many ecosystems.
Navigate General Direction: Write your answers on the space provided. 8

Part I. Enumeration
1. List organisms involved in the carbon cycle and describe their
corresponding role in the process.
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2. List organisms involved in oxygen cycle and provide their

corresponding role in the process.
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3. List the chemical reactions involved in both cycles.

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Part II. Short Response

Rubrics:
Organization of Ideas/Thoughts 1 pt.
Correctness of Facts 2pts.
TOTAL 3pts.

1. Imagine one day the decomposers are gone from our planet. What
could be the possible scenario in your nearby surroundings?
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 2. Explain why oxygen and carbon cycle are extremely
interconnected.
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Knot In summary, carbon and oxygen cycles are two interconnected cycles 1
of elements.

Carbon cycle has two different components: fast and slow cycle. Slow
carbon cycle is the movement of carbon between soil, rocks, ocean, and
atmosphere. Slow carbon cycle is the movement of carbon through
living matter.

Carbon in the atmosphere is taken up by autotrophs in the process

called photosynthesis. Oxygen is released into the atmosphere in the
process called cellular respiration.

Autotrophs like plants and phytoplankton are essential part in both

cycles.

a
suggested time allocation set by the teacher
b
actual time spent by the student (for information purposes only)

References:
1. Albarico, J.M. (2013). THINK Framework. Based on Ramos, E.G. and N. Apolinario. (n.d.) Science
LINKS. Quezon City: Rex Bookstore Inc.

2. Dirk SM. & Irwin L.N. (2005). Life in the Universe: Expectations and Constraints. Advances in
Astrobiology and Biogeophysics, vol 3. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

3. Riebeek, H. (2011, June 16). The Carbon Cycle.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/CarbonCycle

4. ‘Coral Outcrop Flynn Reef’ by Toby Hudson available at

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Coral_Outcrop_Flynn_Reef.jpg. Licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Full terms at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

5. ‘Shell Island 1985’ by Manfred Heyde available at

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shell_Island_1985.jpg. Licensed under Creative
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported. Full terms at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en

6. OpenStax College, Concepts of Biology (April 25, 2013). Biogeochemical Cycles

https://openstax.org/books/concepts-biology/pages/20-2-biogeochemical-cycles. Licensed under
 Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0. Full terms at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed.ast

7. Ritchie, H., & Roser, M. (2017). CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Our World in Data.
https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-other-greenhouse-gas-emissions

8. THINK icons by Microsoft Office Icons.

Prepared by: Reviewed by Reviewed and Approved by

MITCHIE BERN C. BENIGA / SUZETTE PALICTE ALICE C. MANUEL

LUIS JULIUS G. BRAGAIS Special Science Teacher IV Special Science Teacher IV
Special Science Teacher II / Southern Mindanao Campus Cagayan Valley Campus
Special Science Teacher I
PSHS-CLC / PSHS-BRC