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Earth's Interconnected Systems: Nitrogen

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Description: his activity uses a qualitative nitrate test to observe results of some conversions and transformations in the nitrogen cycle.
Grade Levels: 9-12
Keywords: nitrogen cycle, soil chemistry, plant nutrition, nutrient supply, nutrient cycling, Soils and Plant Growth
Lesson Area: Soils and Plant Growth
Resource Type: Activity

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade	Discipline	Core Idea
9-12	ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars	The star called the sun is changing and will burn out overa lifespan of approximately 10 billion years. The study of stars’ light spectra and brightness is used toidentify compositional elements of stars, theirmovements, and their distances from Earth. The Big Bang theory is supported by observations ofdistant galaxies receding from our own, of the measuredcomposition of stars and non-stellar gases, and of themaps of spectra of the primordial radiation (cosmicmicrowave background) that still fills the universe. Other than the hydrogen and helium formed at the timeof the Big Bang, nuclear fusion within stars produces allatomic nuclei lighter than and including iron, and theprocess releases electromagnetic energy. Heavierelements are produced when certain massive starsachieve a supernova stage and explode.
9-12	ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System	Kepler's laws describe common features of the motions of orbiting objects. Observations from astronomy and space probes provide evidence for explanations of solar system formation. Changes in Earth's tilt and orbit cause climate changes such as Ice Ages.
9-12	ESS1.C: The history of planet Earth	The rock record resulting from tectonic and other geoscience processes as well as objects from the solar system can provide evidence of Earth's early history and the relative ages of major geologic formations.
9-12	ESS2.A: Earth materials and systems	Feedback effects exist within and among Earth's systems.
9-12	ESS2.B: Plate tectonics and large-scale system interactions	Radioactive decay within Earth's interior contributes to thermal convection in the mantle.
9-12	ESS2.C: The roles of water in Earth's surface processes	The planet's dynamics are greatly influenced by water's unique chemical and physical properties.
9-12	ESS2.D: Weather and climate	The role of radiation from the sun and its interactions with the atmosphere, ocean, and land are the foundation for the global climate system. Global climate models are used to predict future changes, including changes influenced by human behavior and natural factors.
9-12	ESS2.E: Biogeology	The biosphere and Earth's other systems have many interconnections that cause a continual co-evolution of Earth's surface and life on it.
9-12	ESS3.A: Natural resources	Resource availability has guided the development of human society and use of natural resources has associated costs, risks, and benefits.
9-12	ESS3.B: Natural hazards	Natural hazards and other geological events have shaped the course of human history at local, regional, and global scales.
9-12	ESS3.C: Human impacts on Earth systems	Sustainability of human societies and the biodiversity that supports them requires responsible management of natural resources, including the development of technologies.
9-12	ESS3.D: Global climate change	Global climate models used to predict changes continue to be improved, although discoveries about the global climate system are ongoing and continually needed.
9-12	LS1.A: Structure and function	Systems of specialized cells within organisms help perform essential functions of life. Any one system in an organism is made up of numerous parts. Feedback mechanisms maintain an organism's internal conditions within certain limits and mediate behaviors.
9-12	LS1.B: Growth and development of organisms	Growth and division of cells in organisms occurs by mitosis and differentiation for specific cell types.
9-12	LS1.C: Organization for matter and energy flow in organisms	The hydrocarbon backbones of sugars produced through photosynthesis are used to make amino acids and other molecules that can be assembled into proteins or DNA. Through cellular respiration, matter and energy flow through different organizational levels of an organism as elements are recombined to form different products and transfer energy.
9-12	LS1.D: Information Processing	N/A
PreK-2	LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems	Plants depend on water and light to grow, and also depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around.
3-5	LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems	The food of almost any animal can be traced back to plants. Organisms are related in food webs in which some animals eat plants for food and other animals eat the animals that eat plants, while decomposers restore some materials back to the soil.
6-8	LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems	Organisms and populations are dependent on their environmental interactions both with other living things and with nonliving factors, any of which can limit their growth. Competitive, predatory, and mutually beneficial interactions vary across ecosystems but the patterns are shared.
9-12	LS2.A: Interdependent relationships in ecosystems	Ecosystems have carrying capacities resulting from biotic and abiotic factors. The fundamental tension between resource availability and organism populations affects the abundance of species in any given ecosystem.
9-12	LS2.B: Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems	Photosynthesis and cellular respiration provide most of the energy for life processes. Only a fraction of matter consumed at the lower level of a food web is transferred up, resulting in fewer organisms at higher levels. At each link in an ecosystem elements are combined in different ways and matter and energy are conserved. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are key components of the global carbon cycle.
9-12	LS2.C: Ecosystem dynamics, functioning, and resilience	If a biological or physical disturbance to an ecosystem occurs, including one induced by human activity, the ecosystem may return to its more or less original state or become a very different ecosystem, depending on the complex set of interactions within the ecosystem.
9-12	LS2.D: Social interactions and group behavior	Group behavior has evolved because membership can increase the chances of survival for individuals and their genetic relatives.
9-12	LS3.A: Inheritance of traits	DNA carries instructions for forming species' characteristics. Each cell in an organism has the same genetic content, but genes expressed by cells can differ.
9-12	LS3.B: Variation of traits	The variation and distribution of traits in a population depend on genetic and environmental factors. Genetic variation can result from mutations caused by environmental factors or errors in DNA replication, or from chromosomes swapping sections during meiosis.
9-12	LS4.A: Evidence of common ancestry and diversity	The ongoing branching that produces multilpe lines of descent can be inferred by comparing DNA sequences, amino acid sequences, and anatomical and embryological evidence of different organisms.
9-12	LS4.B: Natural selection	Natural selection occurs only if there is variation in the genes and traits between organisms in a population. Traits that positively affect survival can become more common in a population.
9-12	LS4.C: Adaptation	Evolution results primarily from genetic variation of individuals in a species, competition for resources, and proliferation of organisms better able to survive and reproduce. Adaptation means that the distribution of traits in a population, as well as species expansion, emergence or extinction, can change when conditions change.
9-12	LS4.D: Biodiversity and humans	Biodiversity is increased by formation of new species and reduced by extinction. Humans depend on biodiversity but also have adverse impacts on it. Sustaining biodiversity is essential to supporting life on Earth.
9-12	PS1.A: Structure of matter (includes PS1.C Nuclear Processes)	The sub-atomic structural model and interactions between electric charges at the atomic scale can be used to explain the structure and interactions of matter, including chemical reactions and nuclear processes. Repeating patterns of the periodic table reflect patterns of outer electrons. A stable molecule has less energy than the same set of atoms separated; one must provide at least this energy to take the molecule apart.
9-12	PS1.B: Chemical reactions	Chemical processes are understood in terms of collisions of molecules, rearrangement of atoms, and changes in energy as determined by properties of elements involved.
9-12	PS2.A: Forces and motion	Newton's 2nd law (F=ma) and the conservation of momentum can be used to predict changes in the motion of macroscopic objects.
9-12	PS2.B: Types of Interactions	Forces at a distance are explained by fields that can transfer energy and can be described in terms of the arrangement and properties of the interacting objects and | the distance between them. These forces can be used to describe the relationship between electrical and magnetic fields.
9-12	PS2.C: Stability & instability in physical systems	N/A
9-12	PS3.A: Definitions of energy	The total energy within a system is conserved. Energy transfer within and between systems can be described and predicted in terms of energy associated with the motion or configuration of particles (objects).
9-12	PS3.B: Conservation of energy and energy transfer	Systems move toward stable states.
9-12	PS3.C: Relationship between energy and forces	Fields contain energy that depends on the arrangement of the objects in the field.
9-12	PS3.D: Energy in chemical processes and everyday life	Photosynthesis is the primary biological means of capturing radiation from the sun; energy cannot be destroyed, it can be converted to less useful forms.
9-12	PS4.A: Wave properties	The wavelength and frequency of a wave are related to one another by the speed of the wave, which depends on the type of wave and the medium through which it is passing. Waves can be used to transmit information and energy.
9-12	PS4.B: Electromagnetic radiation	Both an electromagnetic wave model and a photon model explain features of electromagnetic radiation broadly and describe common applications of electromagnetic radiation.
9-12	PS4.C: Information technologies and instrumentation	Large amounts of information can be stored and shipped around as a result of being digitized.
9-12	ETS1.A: Engineering Design