Material cycling

Definition

The repeated movement and reuse of substances between living organisms and the non-living environment.

Used by Edexcel and OCR

Specification 9.12 · Paper 2

A plant takes substances from its surroundings; an animal eats the plant; and, eventually, materials in waste and dead organisms return to the surroundings. They can then be taken up by living things again. This repeated movement between biotic and abiotic components is material cycling.
Revise: Cycling of Materials

Specification B4.1a · Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 4 (Higher)

The repeated movement of a material between living organisms and the non-living environment.

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The materials do not move in one direction and disappear: they pass between organisms and the environment repeatedly. This is material cycling.