Biogeochemical cycles Flashcards
1
Q
what are biogeochemical cycles
A
- circulation of chemical elements in the biosphere
2
Q
what is a nutrient cycle?
A
- cycling of a particular element between biotic and abiotic ecosystem components
3
Q
what is a Reservoir pool?
A
- large abiotic component of a biogeochemical cycle in which matter is slowly exchanged with organisms
4
Q
what is a cycling pool?
A
- small compartment of biogeochemical cycle with active exchange of matter between organisms and the environment
5
Q
what is upwelling
A
- upward movement of deep cold water to replace warm surface water
6
Q
what is guano?
A
- sedimentary rock rich in phosphates formed from the build up of seabirds excreta
7
Q
what is Nitrogen fixation?
A
- conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to nitrate by bacteria and cyanobacteria
8
Q
what is nitrifying bacteria?
A
- bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrate and nitrate to nitrate
9
Q
what is denitrifying bacteria?
A
- bacteria that convert nitrate to nitrate or atmospheric nitrogen or nitrate to ammonia.
10
Q
what is the nutrient cycle?
A
- the cyclic movement of key elements and molecules through the biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem e.g the water cycle and carbon cycle; also called biogeochemical cycles
11
Q
what is a sink?
A
- an area where atoms naturally accumulate away from the normal nutrient cycle
11
Q
what is anaerobic?
A
- in the absence of oxygen
12
Q
what is nitrogen-fixing bacteria?
A
- bacteria that absorb elemental nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it to nitrates or ammonium ions
13
Q
what is a ecological niche?
A
- the role and space that an organism fils in an ecosystem including all its interactions with the biotic and abiotic factors of its environment.
14
Q
what is a fundamental niche?
A
- the wildest potential niche that a species could ideally occupy without predators or parasites
