Question

The amount of matter in the Earth system remains constant over time. The forms and locations of the matter stored within the system, however, change continually as it cycles through the Earth.

Matter can be transferred between which of the following elements of the Earth system?
A.
from one living organism to another living organism
B.
from the physical environment to living organisms
C.
from living organisms to the physical environment
D.
all of these

Answer 1

D. all of these

Matter cycles through the Earth system in many ways: organisms eat (transfer matter between organisms), plants and microbes take up nutrients and gases from the atmosphere, hydrosphere and soils (physical environment → organisms), and organisms return matter to the environment by excretion, death and decomposition (organisms → physical environment).