20.2 - Biogeochemical Cycles Flashcards
Biogeochemical cycle
Movement of elements between organisms within environment
CHNOPS
Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur
Hydrosphere
Area where water movement/storage occurs
Water cycle
Evaporation - condensation - precipitation - run-off
Evaporation
Sunlight turns water into gas, and travels through the air
Condensation
Accumulates into clouds
Precipitation
Clouds grow heavy and fall back to ground (Rain, snow, hail)
Run-off
Travels on ground into larger bodies of water
Carbon cycle
movement from abiotic environment into biotic and back; commonly through through photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Carbon sinks, stores, and sources
Carbon store
Carbon stores carbon
Rocks and oceans, underground for a long period of time
Carbon sink
Carbon absorbs more carbon than they release
Plants
Carbon source
Carbon sources release more carbon than they take in
Human emission (deforestation, burning fossil fuels), volcanoes,
Nitrogen cycle
Decomposition
Nitrogen fixation - ammonification - nitrification - denitrification (all bacteria)
Eutrophication
Extra fertilizer runoff (nitrogen and phosphorus) - algae and plants grow extremely fast, broken down by decomposers - decomposers use too much oxygen (hypoxic) - no oxygen leads to deadzone
Phosphorus cycle
Rocks through the biosphere and hydrosphere and back to rocks
Weathering, absorption, decomposition, sediments
(Weathering enters into soil, air, water, and food webs absorb it. As extra water runoff after being decomposed from the food webs waste, it dissolves and falls to ground as sediment (forms to rock/enters soil). Sometimes, it’ll fall into the ocean and the similar cycle repeats)
