B2 - Recycling Flashcards
What is decay?
Rot or decompose through the action of bacteria and fungi..
What are the name of two elements that are recycled?
Carbon dioxide and nitrogen.
How much carbon dioxide does the atmosphere contain?
Around 0.035%.
Why do plants need carbon dioxide?
Plants need carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.
What are the ways carbon dioxide is put back into the atmosphere?
- plants and animals respiring
- decomposers such as bacteria and fungi respiring
- burning of fossil fuels
Why is limestone a bad choice to use in city buildings?
Acid rain erodes it very easily.
Why is limestone a carbon sink?
It takes in carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
How much nitrogen is there in the earth’s atmosphere?
Around 78%.
Why is nitrogen difficult for plants and animals to use?
It does not combine with other elements easily and is an unreactive gas.
How can nitrogen be recycled?
Nitrogen in dead animals or plants can be recycled by decomposers.
Write down two different types of decomposers.
- bacteria
- fungi
Why do plants and animals need nitrogen?
To make proteins for growth and making enzymes that control the reactions necessary for life.
What do decomposers do?
They break down proteins in dead bodies and urea in liquid animal waste, releasing ammonia.
What do nitrifying bacteria do?
Convert ammonia into nitrates.
What do denitrifying do?
They break down nitrates in the soil and release nitrogen back in to the atmosphere.
