Vocabulary
The scientific study of the interactions between living organisms and their environments?
Ecology
What gas do plants absorb from the atmosphere during photosynthesis?
Carbon dioxide (CO2)
In what form is nitrogen the most abundant in the atmosphere?
Nitrogen gas or N2
What is the process where water changes from a liquid to a gas?
Evaporation.
How does burning fossil fuels affect the carbon cycle?
It releases extra CO2 into the atmosphere, disrupting the natural balance.
The region of the earth that encompasses all living organisms (Plants, animals, and bacteria)?
Biosphere
What process do plants use to convert carbon dioxide into glucose?
Photosynthesis
What type of organisms are responsible for nitrogen fixation?
Nitrogen-fixing bacteria
What do we call the process of water vapor turning into clouds.
Condensation.
How does using too much fertilizer affect the nitrogen cycle and nearby ecosystems?
Excess nitrogen runs off into water, causing algae blooms that harm aquatic life.
The variety of life on Earth, encompassing the different species, their genetic makeup, and the ecosystems they inhabit?
Biodiversity
How does carbon move from animals back into the atmosphere?
Through respiration
What process converts ammonia into nitrates?
Nitrification
What causes precipitation to fall from the atmosphere?
Water droplets in clouds become too heavy and fall due to gravity.
How can deforestation affect the water cycle?
It reduces transpiration and can lead to less rainfall and drier climates.
An important scientific tool, used to identify different organisms, based on the organism's observable traits?
Dichotomous Key
What happens to the carbon in plants and animals when they die and decompose?
Decomposers break them down, releasing carbon back into the soil and atmosphere as Carbon dioxide or methane.
What is the process called when nitrates in the soil are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere?
Denitrification
What is the term for water soaking into the ground?
Infiltration.
How do human activities influence both the carbon and nitrogen cycles in a way that contributes to climate change>
Burning fossil fuels adds CO2 and using fertilizers releases nitrous oxide (N2O) both of which are greenhouse gases.
The biological system of naming the organisms in which the name is composed of two terms, where the first term indicates the genus and the second term indicates the species of the organisms?
binomial nomenclature
Describe how carbon stored in rocks can return into the atmosphere over geological time.
Carbon in sedimentary rocks can be released through volcanic activity when tectonic plates melt or expose the rocks, releasing CO2 (Carbon dioxide)
Explain why nitrogen gas must be "fixed" before it can be used by most living organisms?
Because most organism's can't use nitrogen gas. It must be changed into a usable form like ammonia and nitrites
Explain how transpiration fits into the water cycle.
Transpiration is when plants release water vapor into the air through their leaves.
Explain how urbanization alters the natural cycle and increases the risk of flooding.
Urban areas have more concrete and less soil, reducing infiltration and increasing surface runoff which can lead to flooding.