Show:
General
Water
Carbon
Nitrogen
Phosphorous
100
What is the other name for nutrient cycles?
Biogeochemical cycles
100
How is it possible that the water you drank today at one time could have been dinosaur pee?
the water that we see is the same water that has been here for billions of years, it is just moving through the water cycle
100

In this process, plants remove carbon dioxide from the air.

What is photosynthesis?

100
Why must nitrogen be "fixed"?
the N2 gas in the air is not in a form that is usable by plants
100
Phosphorous can "hitch a ride" in which other nutrient cycle?
the water cycle
200
Why do we study biogeochemical cycles as part of ecology?
It studies the interactions between organisms and their environment
200
What is precipitation? Name 3 types.
water that has condensed in clouds and falls to the earth-rain, snow, hail, sleet
200

In this process animals use high energy carbon molecules for growth.

What is metabolism?

200
What are two ways that nitrogen is fixed?
lightning, nitrogen-fixing bacteria
200
How is phosphorous returned to the soil from living things?
waste, decomposition
300
Which law explains how matter is cycled over and over but not created or destroyed?
the law of conservation of matter (mass)
300
How does water from lakes and oceans reenter the atmosphere?
evaporation
300
How do carbon molecules enter the soil?
decomposition
300
Why is nitrogen so important?
it is used to make amino acids, and ultimately proteins
300
How do plants obtain phosphorous?
absorb through roots (in water or soil)
400
What are the three parts of biogeochemical cycles (hint-look at the word)?
bio-life geo-earth chemicals
400
How do animals return water to the ground?
urine
400
In what process do animals return carbon to the atmosphere?
respiration
400
What nitrogen containing chemical can be a problem when runoff enters streams?
nitrates
400
What is the main difference between the phosphorous cycle and other cycles?
there is no gaseous form of phosphorous in the atmosphere
500
What are the 4 biogeochemical cycles we have learned about so far?
water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous
500
What is transpiration?
the evaporation of water from plants
500
How have humans drastically altered the carbon cycle?
burning fossil fuels which releases carbon dioxide
500
How does burning fossil fuels also affect the nitrogen cycle?
releases nitrous oxide which can form nitric acid in rainwater and alter the pH of the ocean and lakes
500
What is the difference between the short-term and long-term phosphorous cycles?
short-term is the movement through plants, animals, and phosphates in water/soil, long-term is the movement through rocks