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Biology Basics: Matter Cycling within Ecosystems

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By Rene Fester Kratz

Organisms in biological ecosystems connect to one another through their need for matter as well as energy. Every organism needs molecules like proteins, carbohydrates, and fats to provide the raw building materials for their cells.

One of the most fascinating facts about Earth is that almost all the matter on the planet today has been here since Earth first formed. That means all the carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements that make up the molecules of living things have been recycled over and over throughout time. Consequently, ecologists say that matter cycles through ecosystems.