Basics
Break down the word “biogeochemical”: What does bio refer to?
Living things (biosphere)
Plants release this gas back into the atmosphere.
Oxygen
Plants absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for this process.
Photosynthesis
What process turns liquid water into a gas?
Evaporation
What part of a plant absorbs phosphate?
The roots
What does geo refer to in “biogeochemical”?
Geological/non‑living components
What do plants use to create oxygen? (list all 3)
Carbon dioxide, sunlight, and water
What happens to carbon when plants and animals die?
It is released during decomposition
What process forms clouds?
Condensation
What is the first stage of the nitrogen cycle, where nitrogen moves from the atmosphere to soil?
Fixation
What does chemical refer to in “biogeochemical”?
Elements (like oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus)
Name ONE major use of oxygen in living systems.
Breathing, decomposition, combustion, or rusting
What can carbon become if dead organisms do not decompose?
Fossil fuels
Name THREE stages of the water cycle.
Evaporation, sublimation, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, or runoff
Where is phosphorus natively found?
In rocks
Why must matter be recycled in biogeochemical cycles?
Matter cannot be created or destroyed; Earth has a finite supply
Which part of the oxygen cycle consumes oxygen and returns carbon dioxide to the atmosphere?
Breathing
This element helps protect Earth by absorbing and re‑emitting long‑wave radiation from the sun.Why is burning fossil fuels harmful to the carbon cycle?
Carbon
Give two examples of surfaces that block inflitration.
Ex: roads, parking lots, solid rock, buildings
What is the purpose of immobilization in the nitrogen cycle?
Balances the amount of nitrogen in the soil
What is the one major input to Earth’s systems that is not recycled?
Energy from the sun
What organism group produces a significant portion of Earth’s oxygen (besides trees)?
Phytoplankton
Why is burning fossil fuels harmful to the carbon cycle?
We release carbon dioxide faster than the cycle can remove it
What is the movement of water into the ground called?
Infiltration
List the THREE of the stages of the nitrogen cycle.
Fixation, mineralization, nitrification, immobilization, and denitrification