[36] Environmental Biochemistry

Question 1

What is environmental biochemistry?

Answer 1

The study of how living organisms interact with the chemical components of their environment.

Question 2

What are biogeochemical cycles?

Answer 2

The cycles through which chemical elements move between the biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components of the environment.

Question 3

Name some common biogeochemical cycles.

Answer 3

1. Carbon cycle
2. Nitrogen cycle
3. Phosphorus cycle
4. Oxygen cycle

Question 4

What is the carbon cycle?

Answer 4

The process by which carbon is cycled between the atmosphere, land, water, and organisms.

Question 5

What is the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 5

The process by which nitrogen is converted into various chemical forms as it circulates among the atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems.

Question 6

What is the phosphorus cycle?

Answer 6

The cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

Question 7

What is the oxygen cycle?

Answer 7

The process by which oxygen is circulated in various forms through nature.

Question 8

What are xenobiotics?

Answer 8

Man-made substances and chemicals that are not naturally occurring in an organism’s environment and are not typically involved in normal metabolism or digestion.

Question 9

What is bioaccumulation?

Answer 9

The accumulation of substances, such as pesticides or other organic chemicals, in an organism.

Question 10

What is biomagnification?

Answer 10

The process by which the concentration of a substance, like DDT or mercury, increases in the food chain.

Question 11

Define DDT.

Answer 11

Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, a synthetic pesticide known for its environmental impacts.

Question 12

What is a bioremediation?

Answer 12

The use of living organisms, like microbes and bacteria, to remove pollutants from the environment.

Question 13

What is eutrophication?

Answer 13

A process where water bodies receive excess nutrients that stimulate excessive plant growth, leading to oxygen depletion.

Question 14

Define BOD.

Answer 14

Biochemical Oxygen Demand, a measure of the quantity of oxygen used by microorganisms in the decomposition of organic matter.

Question 15

Define COD.

Answer 15

Chemical Oxygen Demand, a measure of the total quantity of oxygen required to oxidize all organic material into carbon dioxide and water.

Question 16

What is acid rain?

Answer 16

Rainfall that has been made acidic by atmospheric pollution, damaging to the environment and built structures.

Question 17

Define pH.

Answer 17

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.

Question 18

What are greenhouse gases?

Answer 18

Gases that trap heat in the earth’s atmosphere contributing to the greenhouse effect. Examples include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide.

Question 19

What is global warming?

Answer 19

The long-term heating of Earth’s climate system due to human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases.

Question 20

What is ozone depletion?

Answer 20

The gradual thinning of the Earth’s ozone layer in the upper atmosphere caused by the release of chemical compounds containing gaseous chlorine or bromine.