B4 ECOSYSTEMS

• Microorganisms are often thought of as 'bad' or harmful to human life, but many more species of microorganisms exist that have functions that are crucial to sustaining other life, than those that are pathogenic (disease-causing).
• The breakdown products are the building blocks for future life, a process known as material cycling.
• Material cycling takes place between the atmosphere, biomass, the land and oceans.
• Many different materials cycle through the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem.
• All life on Earth depends upon water for a variety of reasons, including being a major raw material for photosynthesis.
• Microorganisms play a crucial role in material cycling, without them, ecosystems would not exist as we know them today.
• The water cycle is a fundamental process for all living things as it distributes fresh water globally providing us with clean water for drinking and refreshes the flow of nutrients and in doing so, maintains habitats.
• Lack of microorganisms would severely upset the ecological balance of ecosystems.
• In the carbon cycle, microorganisms are involved in photosynthesis and assisting animals to metabolise organic compounds like cellulose.
• Microorganisms, mainly bacteria and fungi, play a major role in the cycling of materials through an ecosystem, particularly in decomposition and decay.
• Water molecules move between various locations – such as rivers, oceans and the atmosphere – by specific processes, because water can exist in all three states (solid, liquid and gas) in Earth's climate.
• Microorganisms play a little direct part in the water cycle, which involves evaporation, condensation, precipitation and flow of fresh water through ecosystems.
• Microorganisms are believed to be the first life forms to have evolved, therefore crucial to all life forms.
• Material cycling prevents the constant build-up of dead biomass that has no further use to any organisms.
• Microorganisms play the following key roles in the nitrogen cycle: Decomposers, fixing nitrogen gas (N2) from the atmosphere; Nitrification, turning N2 into useful nitrogen-containing ions like nitrates; Denitrification, returning N2 to the atmosphere from organic matter.
• Biological molecules have to be broken down and re-used on a constant basis.
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