Matter and Atoms
What are the cyclic movements of matter through ecosystems called?
Biogeochemical Cycles
Water changing from liquid to vapor is called what?
Evaporation
What type of bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form?
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
What process removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere?
Photosynthesis
Where is most phosphorus found?
Rocks (mineral rocks)
What is the basic building block of matter?
Atom
Water vapor cooling into droplets is called what?
Condensation
What process converts NH₃/NH₄ into nitrites and nitrates?
Nitrification
What process returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere when organisms release energy?
Cellular Respiration
What two processes are especially important in the phosphorus cycle?
Weathering and erosion
Earth is a closed system for _____ and an open system for _____.
Matter, Energy
Water falling from clouds is called what?
Precipitation
Which bacteria return nitrogen to the atmosphere?
Denitrifying bacteria
What process releases carbon from fossil fuels into the atmosphere?
Combustion
Why is the phosphorus cycle the slowest biogeochemical cycle?
It moves through rocks and sediments over long periods of time and has no major atmospheric stage
What is the atomic number of Carbon?
6
What process carries minerals and chemicals into rivers and lakes after rain?
Runoff
How do consumers obtain nitrogen?
By eating producers that have assimilated nitrogen
What human activities increase atmospheric carbon levels?
Deforestation and burning fossil fuels
Which macromolecule requires phosphorus?
DNA/RNA
Lactose (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁) contains how many total atoms?
45
What happens to runoff and infiltration when forests are replaced with roads and parking lots?
Runoff increases; infiltration decreases
What would happen if nitrogen-fixing bacteria greatly decreased?
Plant growth would decrease because usable nitrogen becomes limited
Fossil fuels are best described as what?
Trapped carbon from millions of years ago
How can fertilizers contribute to eutrophication?
Nitrogen and phosphorus runoff enter waterways, causing excess algal growth