The composition of the biosphere
The biosphere is a large system made of many linked components. Vernadsky divided them by origin into seven groups. Living matter is the sum of all producers, consumers and decomposers. Solid (inert) matter is rock and minerals formed without living organisms, such as granite, basalt and quartz. Biogenic matter is formed by the activity of organisms or from their remains: limestone, coal, oil and peat. Bio-inert (biogenic plus abiogenic) matter is formed by living organisms and non-living processes together: soil and the sediments of water bodies. The remaining three groups are radioactive matter, scattered atoms (atoms very sparsely spread in nature) and cosmic matter (meteorites, cosmic dust). Thus the biosphere is an ancient, many-component system that can regulate itself and that stores and distributes energy.
Sort 8 objects from home or the school yard (stone, plant, coal, soil, brick, water, insect, salt) into the seven groups. Safety: wash hands after touching stones and soil; do not pick up sharp things.