Moving Matter
Moving Matter is a Grade 7 science concept from Amplify Science (California) Chapter 1: Photosynthesis, explaining how photosynthesis transfers carbon from the abiotic reservoir (atmospheric CO2) to the biotic reservoir (living organic tissue). This movement of carbon atoms from non-living air into living organisms is fundamental to life and the global carbon cycle.
Key Concepts
Photosynthesis is the specific mechanism that transfers carbon from the abiotic reservoir to the biotic reservoir. It extracts carbon atoms from the atmosphere and integrates them into the organic structures of living things.
Common Questions
How does photosynthesis move carbon from the atmosphere to living organisms?
During photosynthesis, producers absorb CO2 from the air and use its carbon atoms to build organic molecules like glucose. This transfers carbon from the abiotic atmosphere (non-living) into biotic tissue (living organisms).
What are the two main carbon reservoirs in an ecosystem?
The two main reservoirs are the abiotic reservoir (non-living CO2 gas in the atmosphere) and the biotic reservoir (organic carbon stored in living or once-living tissue). Photosynthesis transfers carbon from abiotic to biotic.
Why is the transfer of carbon from air to living things important?
This transfer is how energy and carbon enter the food web. Producers fix atmospheric carbon into organic molecules, which consumers then eat, passing carbon and stored energy up through the ecosystem.
What do Grade 7 students learn about moving matter in Amplify Science?
In Chapter 1 of Amplify Science California Grade 7, students learn that photosynthesis is the mechanism that transfers carbon from the atmosphere into living organisms, driving the biotic side of the carbon cycle.