6.1 Flashcards
Definition of biosphere
All living things on Earth
Difference between lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere?
Lithosphere: the land masses on Earth.
Hydrosphere: all the liquid water on the Earth’s surface.
Atmosphere: the layers of gases surrounding the planet.
What makes an ecosystem sustainable?
Biodiversity.
Ecosystems that are diverse and provide for the needs of the organism that live there = sustainable ecosystems.
What does sustainable mean?
Sustainable ecosystems: ecosystem that are diverse and provide for the needs of the organisms that live there.
Draw the carbon cycle.
See Figure 6.1.2/Google cycle.
What is the carbon cycle?
The process by which carbon is recycled through soil, water, living things and the atmosphere.
What is carbon found in?
- Food (carbohydrates, fats, proteins, varmints, DNA)
- Atmosphere as carbon dioxide
How is carbon used?
- Photosynthesis.
- By animals + other consumer organisms through food.
What is the process of the carbon cycle?
- > Photosynthesis in vegetation/green plants incorporates C into living things.
- > Respiration releases C into atmosphere + hydrosphere as CO. = available for photosynthesis.
- > Organisms release C into soil through wastes.
- > wastes eaten by decomposer organisms. When they respire, carbon is released into atmosphere, water + soil.
- > burning fossil fuels or wood = release carbon.
How do humans interfere with the carbon cycle?
-> Exhalation of carbon dioxide
-> The burning of fossil fuels
-> Deforestation
= disruption of balance in carbon cycle.
What is the process of the water cycle?
Energy from sun causes water to evaporate from moist surfaces (oceans, soil, plants, animals).
Largest amount of water vapour comes from oceans = largest bodies of water on Earth.
Endless cycle of water evaporating, condensing, falling as rain and then run off returning it to the oceans it originally came from.
Draw the water cycle.
See Figure 6.1.7 or Google it.
