1.5 Chemical Recycling
Matter that makes up living organisms is conserved and recycled within ecosystems. The six most common elements associated with matter in living things are carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. The recycling of these elements usually involves three general steps:
1. The producers (green plants) incorporate the elements from their surroundings into their tissues as organic compounds.
2. The consumers animals) eat the producers and incorporate some of the elements into their own bodies. They release some back to the environment as waste.
3. When the organisms die, decomposers break down the compounds and supply the soil, water and air with the elements. The cycle continues with the producers gaining the elements to make food.