Experiment to better understand the decomposition of organic matter.

Discipline
Life Sciences
Grade Level
6-8
9-12
Lesson Area
Soil Basics
Lesson Type
Activity
Lab Experiment
Lesson Keywords
Decomposition
Organic Matter
Carbon Cycle
Soil Basics

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
6-8 LS2.B: Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems

The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem. Food webs model how matter and energy are transferred among producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an 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.