20.2 Flashcards
Biogeochemical cycle
Refers to the movement of nutrients and other elements between biotic and abiotic factors. “Bio” meaning biosphere, “geo” meaning the geological components and “chemical” meaning the elements that move through a cycle.
CHNOPS
Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur
Hydrosphere
A hydrosphere is the total amount of water on a planet. The hydrosphere includes water that is on the surface of the planet, underground, and in the air. A planet’s hydrosphere can be liquid, vapor, or ice.
Water cycle
Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, runoff
Evaporation
Evaporation happens when a liquid turns into a gas.
Condensation
Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase.
Percipitation
Precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull in the form of water, snow, hail, etc.
Run-off
Runoff is precipitation that does not soak into the soil but instead moves on the Earth’s surface toward streams.
Carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is nature’s way of reusing carbon atoms, which travel from the atmosphere into organisms in the Earth and then back into the atmosphere over and over again.
Carbon sink
Take in more carbon than they release.
Carbon store
Store carbon for long periods of time.
Carbon source
Release more carbon than they take in.
Nitrogen cycle
Nitrogen Cycle is a biogeochemical process through which nitrogen is converted into many forms, consecutively passing from the atmosphere to the soil to organism and back into the atmosphere.
- Nitrogen fixation, is when certain bacteria fixes carbons triple covalent bond and makes it accessible to the living world
-Nitrification
-Denitrification
Eutrophication
-Fertilizer is spread on land to increase plant growth
-Washed away by rain
-Transported to a body of water
-Overgrowth of algae and aquatic plants
-Blocks sunlight from reaching the bottom of water body
-Algae and other plants die from lack of sunlight
-Decomposers decompose these plants and take up oxygen in the lake making it anoxic
-Lack of oxygen causes fish to die
-Cycle continues
Phosphorus cycle
The Phosphorus Cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the transformation and translocation of phosphorus in soil, water, and living and dead organic material.
