Zombie Fires
These fires can burn beneath ice during winter.
zombie fires
Peat is made from these long-dead organisms.
Ancient plants/ compressed dead plants
Matter and energy flow from peat/permafrost to the air as this visible particulate and this gas (two items).
smoke and carbon dioxide
The process by which organisms break down sugar to release energy is called this.
cellular respiration
Peat is an important reservoir of this element, which is released as __________ when burned.
carbon Dioxide (CO2)
This material is burning in zombie fires, often exposed by thawing permafrost.
Peat
This word describes ground that stays frozen for years or centuries.
Permafrost
When matter and energy move from plants to the air through decomposers, this general process is happening.
Decomposition (or the return of matter and energy via decomposers)
Decomposition rates depend on conditions such as temperature and this other environmental factor.
oxygen level (or oxygen availability)
A system that takes in more Carbon Dioxide then it gives out is called what? (two-word phrase).
carbon sink
Zombie fires release these two things into the air as they burn.
smoke and carbon dioxide
When permafrost thaws, it often reveals this carbon-rich substance.
Peat
In ecosystems, energy from sugar is transferred to decomposers like this organism often used in labs and baking.
Yeast
Cellular respiration transfers energy from sugar to organisms and transforms matter into these two outputs (two items).
carbon dioxide and water
Burning peat emits a lot of CO2 and energy; this makes peat fires especially significant for what global issue?
climate change (or greenhouse gas emissions/climate warming)?
True or False — Zombie fires happen all over the world
False
Peat is widely used as this
fuel
During decomposition, matter from sugar is transformed to grow more decomposers and to produce these two products (two items).
CO2 and H2O
When decomposers are active, matter and energy typically return to this sphere of Earth.
the atmosphere
Matter and energy flowing from peat into the atmosphere contribute to increased levels of carbon dioxide. What happens when there is more CO2 in the atmosphere?
Zombie fires are becoming more ______ (one word) over time.
common
Peat burns slowly and releases a lot of this greenhouse gas and also emits a lot of this (two-part: gas + type of energy output).
carbon dioxide (CO2) and energy (heat)
Cold temperatures and low oxygen cause this effect on decomposition rates (short phrase).
slow the rate of decomposition
Explain briefly why low oxygen slows cellular respiration in peat/permafrost systems (short answer expected).
oxygen limitation reducing cellular respiration and slowing decomposition.
more frequent fires mean more carbon released instead of being stored.