Matter cycles. Matter for growth, maintenance and reproduction in all organisms cycles through the ecosystem and Earth processes. All life needs certain matter in order to stay alive. This includes nitrogen, phosphorus, and water; oxygen for many but not all animals; and carbon dioxide for plants, to name a few kinds of matter.
To understand, through guided visualization (part 1) and hands-on investigations (part 2), how matter cycles through an ecosystem. To gain an understanding of decomposition, a community of forest recyclers, and the critical role decomposers play in the food web and the cycling of matter.
Students investigate biodiversity of wildlife in their backyard (schoolyard) by selecting and mapping out areas they expect to be high in biodiversity in part one. Part two uses a larger area to make observations about the area by using “biodiversity clues.”