Nitrogen
atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is converted by certain types of soil bacteria into ammonia (NH3) which converts to (ammonium (NH4) which is available for biological uptake in the process of _________.
Nitrogen fixation
Burning fossil fuels quickly moves stored carbon into the atmosphere as __________.
CO2
The major reservoir of phosphorus is ______________.
a.Rocks
b.ocean sediment
The largest reservoir of water is ______.
the oceans
The process of that returns nitrate to the atmosphere as nitrous oxide (N2O) and then nitrogen gas (N2)
denitrification
Besides burning fossil fuels, what other process is a major source of CO2?
Deforestation
The phosphorus cycle is unique because it doesn’t use which major reservoir?
atmosphere
(no gaseous phase)
The largest reservoirs of freshwater
Ice caps and/or groundwater
What type of organisms are responsible for much of the processes of the nitrogen cycle?
Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi)
What are the chemical products of combustion and respiration?
CO2 and water
How do humans obtain phosphorus for fertilizer?
we mine it.
What powers the hydrologic cycle?
the sun
The availability of nitrogen compounds in the soil is limited by the rate of _______________.
nitrogen fixation
What process moves CO2 from the atmosphere to biomass?
photosynthesis
Increase in phosphorous in aquatic environments leads to
Algal blooms
(eutrophication, lack of dissolved oxygen)
The process by which plants release water vapor through their stomata/pores
Transpiration
What is the largest reservoir of the nitrogen Cycle?
Atmosphere
what is a reservoir that holds carbon for a long period?
rocks/sediment/fossil fuels
Because phosphorus cycles so slowly , it is often a ____________ in ecosystems- (i.e. the lack of phosphorus leads to low growth of primary producers)
Limiting factor
the process by which water carries nutrients and sediment from land into bodies of water
runoff