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 what process do plants remove carbon dioxide from the air?
photosynthesis
100
Why must nitrogen be "fixed"?
the N2 gas in the air is not in a form that is usable by plants
100

This process, caused by water and wind, releases phosphates from rocks into the soil and water.

weathering

200

Why do we study biogeochemical cycles as part of environmental science?

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 what process do animals use high energy carbon molecules for growth?
metabolism
200

What is one way that nitrogen is fixed?

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

Organisms that obtain phosphorus by breaking down dead plants and animals.

decomposers

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

This process, carried out by bacteria, converts ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate, a form of nitrogen usable by plants.

nitrification

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