Question

The Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy: A Rabbit's Story
In the natural world, every living organism interacts with its environment in a way that follows the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy. One example of a consumer that plays a crucial role in these cycles is the rabbit. Rabbits are herbivores, which means they primarily eat plants.

When a rabbit eats a plant, it consumes leaves, stems, and roots. These plant parts are rich in a sugar called glucose, which is produced through a process known as photosynthesis. During photosynthesis, plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide from the air, and water from the soil to create glucose and oxygen. When the rabbit eats the plant, it breaks down the glucose through a process called cellular respiration, which helps the rabbit convert the stored energy in the glucose into a form it can use for its daily activities, like running, jumping, and staying warm. As rabbits consume glucose, the primary product of photosynthesis, they also breathe in oxygen from the atmosphere, the second product of photosynthesis.



The primary product of cellular respiration, chemical energy (ATP), is released during cellular respiration and powers the rabbit’s movements and bodily functions. As rabbits breathe out, they release carbon dioxide, the second product of cellular respiration, back into the atmosphere. This carbon dioxide is then available for plants to use again during photosynthesis, demonstrating the connection between all of these organisms and the ecosystem.

Eventually, every rabbit will die, just like all living organisms. When this happens, the rabbit's body begins to decay. Decomposers, such as bacteria and fungi, break down the organic matter in the rabbit's body. This decaying process returns nutrients to the soil, enriching it with essential elements that plants need to grow. The carbon contained in the rabbit's body is also released. It will be released back into the atmosphere in the form of gasses, such as carbon dioxide, but it will also be released back into the soil in the form of carbon atoms.

The rabbit's life cycle illustrates the Laws of Conservation of Mass and Energy: Matter is neither created nor destroyed; it simply changes forms. The nutrients from the rabbit’s body (matter) are reused by plants, allowing them to grow and produce glucose once again. Energy is transformed through different processes, but it is always conserved in the ecosystem.

QUESTION 2: Using only information within the passage, provide two examples of ways in which matter is transferred in the carbon cycle.

Hint: Identify carbon in the processes and cycles explained above such as photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition. How is carbon transferred through these processes?

Sentence Sta

Answer 1

One example is photosynthesis: plants take carbon dioxide from the air and convert the carbon into glucose (plant tissues).
Another example is cellular respiration: rabbits break down glucose and release carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide when they breathe out.