Biogeochemical Cycles
The four biogeochemical cycles we learned.
What are the carbon cycle, the water cycle, phosphorus cycle and the nitrogen cycle?
The four types of precipitation
What are rain, snow, sleet and hail?
Carbon dioxide is taken in from the atmosphere and turned into glucose(sugar) during this process.
What is photosynthesis?
This element is the most abundant in Earth's atmosphere and is necessary for all living organisms because it is part of proteins.
What is nitrogen?
This is where most phosphorus on Earth is stored.
What is in rocks?
These are some ways that humans can have negative impacts on the biogeochemical cycles and our environment.
What are deforestation, poor irrigation practices, cars, factories, pesticides, over fertilization, etc.
The sun heats up oceans, lakes, streams, rivers, etc. causing the liquid water to turn into water vapor.
What is evaporation?
This species has the largest impact on the carbon cycle.
What is humans?
The organisms that drive the Nitrogen Cycle
What are bacteria?
Unlike the other biogeochemical cycles, the phosphorus cycle does not enter this part of Earth.
What is the atmosphere?
The three main states of matter. (think forms of water as an example)
What are liquid, gas, and solid?
What is condensation?
Animals breathe in oxygen and breathe out carbon dioxide during this process.
What is respiration?
In this process, bacteria on legumes and in the soil take atmospheric nitrogen and "fix" it into ammonia.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The process through which phosphorus is released into the soil.
What is weathering/erosion?
In terms of energy (from the Sun), Earth is part of an open system. However, elements such as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorous are part of this type of system.
What is closed?
Plants take groundwater up through their roots and it is evaporate through their leaves,
What is transpiration?
The burning of wood and/or fossil fuels that releases carbon back into the atmosphere.
What is combustion?
What is solid?
Phosphorus is found in these parts of animals.
What are teeth and bones?
The prefixes in biogeochemical cycles.
Bio-Living
Geo-Earth
Chem-Elements
Water that isn't absorbed into the ground and flows down mountains into rivers, oceans, and lakes
What is surface runoff?
These decomposers break down dead and decaying matter to return carbon to the soil, eventually forming fossil fuels.
What are fungi and bacteria?
These are the building blocks of proteins. Nitrogen is a key component. Animals get them from eating plants.
What are amino acids?
What are plants?