4.2 Study Guide Flashcards
What is nitrogen fixation?
The bacteria in the soil take the atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into nitrogen that can be used by plants.
What is nitrification?
The bacteria in the soil change ammonium into nitrates.
What is denitrification?
The soil bacteria take the nitrates in the soil and convert it into nitrogen that goes back to the atmosphere.
What are the inputs and outputs of photosynthesis?
Inputs: Sunlight (solar energy), carbon dioxide, and water.
Outputs: Oxygen gas and glucose (chemical energy)
What are the inputs and outputs of cellular respiration?
Inputs: Oxygen gas and glucose
Outputs: Energy (ATP), carbon dioxide, and water.
What type of organisms perform the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration?
Plants and other producers perform photosynthesis.
Plants, animals, consumers, fungi, protists, and many bacteria perform cellular respiration.
How do humans affect the carbon and nitrogen cycles?
Humans affect the carbon and nitrogen cycles by increasing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the nitrogen levels in the biosphere. Burning fossil fuels, changing land use, and using limestone to make concrete all transfer large quantities of carbon to the atmosphere, which rapidly increases the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The production and use of nitrogen fertilizers to the burning of fossil fuels in automobiles, power generation plants, and industries increase the biologically available nitrogen in an ecosystem. Adding these large amounts of carbon and nitrogen to an ecosystem creates imbalance and instability in the two cycles.
How does BTB (a pH indicator) work?
BTB is an acid indicator. When it reacts with acid, it turns from blue to yellow. When carbon dioxide mixes with water, the carbon dioxide reacts and produces a weak acid. This means that the more carbon dioxide that is added to the BTB solution, the more acid will be produced, and the faster the solution will turn from blue to yellow.
What is the difference between how energy and how carbon flow through a food chain?
The flow of energy starts with the sun and its solar energy being used by plants during photosynthesis. The carbon cycle starts in the atmosphere with the carbon coming from carbon dioxide molecules. The flow of energy is a one way flow, while the flow of carbon is a cycle that moves carbon through the food chain and back to the atmosphere. Carbon and energy both flow to each level of the food chain, however, some of the energy is lost through cellular respiration in the form of heat energy. However, the carbon dioxide that is lost due to cellular respiration goes back to the atmosphere.
Predict how BTB (a pH indicator) will change color in a test tube depending upon:
The contents (plant, animal, both) and the condition (light or dark).
In the light:
A test tube with only plants in the light will remain blue because the plants can cycle the carbon dioxide through by going through photosynthesis. A test tube with only animals in the light will change color to yellow because the animals are producing carbon dioxide due to cellular respiration and the carbon dioxide mixes with the water and produces acid. A test tube with both plants and animals in the light will remain blue because the plant can use the carbon dioxide produced by itself and the animal to go through photosynthesis.
In the dark: A test tube with only plants in the dark would turn yellow because the plants do not have the energy from the light source that they need to go through photosynthesis. A test tube with only animals in the dark would turn yellow because there are not any plants to cycle the carbon dioxide through and stop the acidic reaction from occurring. A test tube with both plants and animals in the dark would turn yellow because the plants would not be able to perform photosynthesis because they lack a light source.
