Chapter 6. Chapter 6: Ecosystems and Nutrient Cycling

An important conclusion drawn from the initial Biosphere 2 project was that:

Biosphere 2 did not have:

Biosphere 2 is now:

Thought Question: Refer to the biome graph from Infographic 6.4. What are the parallels between the layout of the biomes in Biosphere 2 and the information in the biome chart?

Soil microbes responsible for decomposition:

The failure of Biosphere 2 may have been avoided if there had been:

The carbon cycle is not dependent on the availability of:

Thought Question: Why are there two pairs of O₂/CO₂ arrows shown for crops and trees in IG 6.9, but only one pair for people and the soil?

Thought Question: When an organism decomposes, it becomes lighter or loses mass, even more than can be accounted for by drying. Where does the mass go?

1) Which biogeochemical cycle do you think would be the most important one to take into account with your design: nitrogen, carbon, or phosphorus?

2) The global biosphere is considered an open system for energy and a closed system for matter. Would the same be true for a constructed biosphere?

3) How could you avoid the oxygen-depletion problems that Biosphere 2 encountered?