Biogeochemical Cycles Flashcards
n the ecosystem help explain how the planet conserves matter and uses energy
biogeochemical cycles
store elements and recycle them
biogeochemical cycles
is important for understanding how natural ecosystems resist human-induced stresses, and also for anticipating and modeling the sustainable functioning of human-impacted ecosystems.
biogeochemical cycles
is a pathway by which a chemical element or molecule moves through both biotic (“bio-“) and abiotic (“geo-“) compartments of an ecosystem.
biogeochemical cycle
places where the element is accumulated or held for a long period of time.
reservoirs
gaseous cycles include
carbon and nitrogen
sedimentary cycles include
phosphorus, sulfur
hydrologic cycle include
water
accumulated excrement and remains of birds, bats, and seals, valued as fertilizer
guano
is condensed water vapor that falls to the Earth’s surface.
precipitation
most precipitation occurs as what
rain
other form of precipitation
snow, hail, fog drip, graupel, sleet
is the transformation of water from liquid to gas phases as it moves from the ground or bodies of water into the overlying atmosphere
evaporation
evaporation in lpants
transpiration
evaporation and transpiration from plants makes up
evapotranspiration
water evaporation into the atmosphere from the soil surface, evaporation from the capillary fringe of the groundwater table, and evaporation from water bodies on land
evapotranspiration
is the transformation of water vapour to liquid water droplets in the air, producing clouds and fog.
condensation
the storehouses for the vast majority of all water on Earth are the
oceans
percent that oceans supply evaporated water that goes into the water cycle
90
energy that water cycle is powered from
solar energy
process where global evaporation occurring in oceans
evaporative cooling
Without the cooling effect of evaporation the greenhouse effect would lead to a much higher/lower surface temperature
higher
is stored in the planet in the following major sinks: (a) as organic molecules in living and dead organisms found in the biosphere; (b) as the gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere; (c) as organic matter in soils; (d) in the lithosphere as fossil fuels and sedimentary rock deposits such as limestone, dolomite and chalk; and (e) in the oceans as dissolved atmospheric carbon dioxide and as calcium carbonate shells in marine organisms.
carbon
how is carbon stored in the biosphere
as organic molecules in living and dead organisms
how is carbon stored in the atmosphere
as CO2
how is carbon stsored in the lithosphere
fossil fuels and sedimentary rock deposits such as limestone, dolomite, and chalk
how is carbon stored in the ocean
dissolved CO2 and CaCO3 shells in marine organisms
study the water cycle in ppt
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study the carbon cyclce
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process that chemically convert the carbon dioxide to carbon-based sugar molecules. These molecules can then be chemically modified by these organisms through the metabolic addition of other elements to produce more complex compounds like proteins, cellulose, and amino acids.
photosynthesis
Carbon is released from ecosystems as carbon dioxide gas by the process of
respiration
takes place in both plants and animals and involves the breakdown of carbon-based organic molecules into carbon dioxide gas and some other compound byproducts
respiration
contains a number of organisms whose primary ecological role is the decomposition of organic matter into its abiotic components
detritus food chain
Carbon dioxide enters the waters of the ocean by what process
simple diffusion
Carbon dioxide can be converted to once dissolved in sewater
carbonate, bicarbonate
acid formed when CO2 enters the ocean
carbonic acid
Another reaction important in controlling oceanic pH levels is the release of
hydrogen ions and bicarbonate
certain forms of sea life biologically fix what with calcium to form calcium carbonate
bicarbonate
This substance is used to produce shells and other body parts by organisms such as coral, clams, oysters, some protozoa, and some algae.
calcium carbonate
After long periods of time, these deposits are physically and chemically altered into sedimentary rocks
carbonate deposits in the ocean floor
is stored in the lithosphere in both inorganic and organic forms.
carbon
include fossil fuels like coal, oil, and natural gas, oil shale, and carbonate-based sedimentary deposits like limestone.
what kind of carbon deposit
inorganic
forms of carbon in the lithosphere include litter, organic matter, and humic substances found in soils.
organic
is released from the interior of the lithosphere by volcanoes.
carbon dioxide
s essential for many biological processes; and is crucial for any life here on Earth. It is in all amino acids, is incorporated into proteins, and is present in the bases that make up nucleic acids, such as DNA and RNA.
nitrogen
In plants, much of the nitrogen is used in ____
chlorophyll
study the nitrogen cycle
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conversion of ___ rom the atmosphere into a form readily available to plants and hence to animals and humans is an important step in the nitrogen cycle,
dinitrogen
ways to convert N2 (atmospheric nitrogen gas) to more chemically reactive forms
biological fixation (nitrogen-fixing bacteria)
combustion of fossil fuels
lighting fixation
An example of mutualistic nitrogen fixing bacteria are the, which live in legume root nodules
Rhizobium bacteria
bacteria and archaea that fix gaseous nitrogen in the atmosphere into a more usable form such as ammonia
diazotrophs
example of free living bacteria
azotobacter
automobile engines and thermal power plants, which release NOx.
combustion of fossil fuels
The high temperatures and pressures associated with lightning lead to the chemical bonding of
atmospheric nitrogen
oxygen
colourless toxic gas that is formed by the oxidation of nitrogen
nitric oxide
can absorb nitrate or ammonium ions from the soil via their root hairs.
plants
If nitrate is absorbed, it is first reduced to ____ ions and then ____ ions for incorporation into amino acids, nucleic acids, and chlorophyll
nitrite
ammonium
the absorption and digestion of food or nutrients by the body or any biological system.
assimilation
In plants which have a mutualistic relationship with rhizobia, some nitrogen is assimilated in the form of ammonium ions directly from the
nodules
Animals, fungi, and other heterotrophic organisms absorb nitrogen as what macromolecule
amino acids and nucleotides
When a plant or animal dies, or an animal excretes, the initial form of nitrogen is organic. Bacteria, or in some cases, fungi, convert the organic nitrogen within the remains back into ammonia
ammonification
The conversion of ammonia to nitrates
nitrification
nitrification is performed primarily by what bacteria
soil-living and other nitrifying bacteria
The primary stage of nitrification is what
oxidation of ammonia
performs the oxidation of ammonia
nitrosomonas species
converts ammonia to nitrites
nitrosomonas species
bacterial species responsible for the oxidation of nitrites into nitrates
nitrobacter
the process of water being absorbed into the ground.
infiltration
the movement of water through the soil itself.
percolation
is the reduction of nitrites back into the largely inert nitrogen gas (N2), completing the nitrogen cycle
denitrification
performed by bacterial species such as the Pseudomonas and Clostridium in anaerobic conditions
denitrification
use the nitrate as an electron acceptor in the place of oxygen during respiration. These facultatively anaerobic bacteria can also live in aerobic conditions.
pseudomonas
clostridium
is a component of nucleotide, which serve as energy storage within cells (ATP) when linked together
phosphorus
is also found in bones, whose strength is derived from calcium phosphate, and in phospholipids (found in all biological membranes)
phosphorus
study the phosphorus cycle
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where phosphorus cycle begin
rocks
When it rains, phosphates are removed from the rocks (vi
weathering
the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earths surface
weathering
take up the phosphate ions from the soi
plants
moves from plants to animals when herbivores eat plants and carnivores eat plants or herbivores
phosphates
The phosphates absorbed by animal tissue through consumption eventually returns to the soil through the
excretion of urine and feces
is not highly soluble, binding tightly to molecules in soil, therefore it mostly reaches waters by traveling with runoff soil particles.
phosphorus
also enter waterways through fertilizer runoff, sewage seepage, natural mineral deposits, and wastes from other industrial processes. T
phosphates
comprises many vitamins, proteins, and hormones that play critical roles in both climate and in the health of various ecosystems.
sulfur
The majority of the Earth’s ___ is stored underground in rocks and minerals, including as sulfate salts buried deep within ocean sediments.
sulfur
ontains both atmospheric and terrestrial processes. Within the terrestrial portion, the cycle begins with the weathering of rocks, releasing the stored
sulfur cycle
The sulfur then comes into contact with air where it is converted into
sulfate
is taken up by plants and microorganisms and is converted into organic forms; animals then consume these organic forms through foods they eat, thereby moving the sulfur through the food chain.
sulfate
There are also a variety of natural sources that emit sulfur directly into the atmosphere (3)
volcanic eruptions
breakdown of organic matter in swamps and tidal flats
evaporation of water
Sulfur eventually settles back into the Earth or comes down within ____
rainfall
. A portion of this sulfur is emitted back into the atmosphere from
sea spray
The remaining sulfur is lost to the ocean depths, combining with iron to form ____ which is responsible for the black color of most marine sediments.
ferrous sulfide
gradual increase in the concentration of phosphorous, nitrogen, and other plant nutrients in an aging aquatic ecosystem
eutrophication
waters are often murky and may support fewer large animals, than non-eutrophic waters
eutrophic waters
any form of precipitaiton with acidic components, such as sulfuric or nitric/carbonic acid that fall to the ground from the atmosphere in wet or dy forms (rain, snow, fog, hail, or even acidic dust)
acid rain
has detrimental effects on trees, freshwaters and soils, destroys insects and aquatic life-forms, causes paint to peel, corrosion of steel structures such as bridges, and weathering of stone buildings and sculptures, as well as impacts on human health
acid rain
