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Biology 20 Final Exam > Chapter 2 > Flashcards

Chapter 2 Flashcards

1
Q

The Role of Water in the Cycles of Matter

A
  • The amount of water in the biosphere is finite. Water exists in the environment as a solid, a liquid, and a gas.
  • It is recycled through the hydrological cycle
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2
Q

Evaporation

A

solar energy heats liquid water turning it into a gas

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3
Q

Evapotranspiration

A

water released through photosynthesis

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4
Q

Condensation

A

water vapor cools and becomes water droplets

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5
Q

Sublimation

A

process of turning ice
into a gas

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6
Q

Precipitation

A

when clouds are too saturated, they release extra moisture such as; rain, snow, sleet, and hail

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7
Q

Collection

A
  • water storage: ice, snow, lakes, oceans, springs, groundwater
  • infiltration
  • run-off
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8
Q

What from the water cycle adds to the atmosphere?

A

Evaporation, Evapotranspiration, sublimation and water vapor

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9
Q

Transpiration

A

loss of water through the leaves of a plant

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10
Q

Metabolic Water

A

Water is a product of cellular respiration

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11
Q

Biogeochemical cycles

A

the routes that water (and other chemicals) take through the biosphere

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12
Q

The Role of Water in the Cycles of Matter

A
  • more than 97% of water in the biosphere is in liquid form
  • water is a greenhouse gas
  • transfers heat and dissolved materials
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13
Q

Polarity

A
  • a water molecule has
    two hydrogen atoms covalently bonded to
    one oxygen atom
  • the oxygen end has a slightly negative end
  • the hydrogen end has a slightly positive end
    (making water polar)
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14
Q

Properties of Water

A
  • positive end of a hydrogen is able to form a weak bond with a negative end of another end of a water molecule making a hydrogen bond.
  • (It can also form hydrogen bonds with other negative ions - dissolving a wide range of substances which is why it is called the Universal Solvent)
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15
Q

Cohesion

A
  • the attraction one water molecule to another one is called cohesion
  • is responsible for SURFACE TENSION
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16
Q

Adhesion

A
  • is the attraction of water molecules to other substances (like the wall of a xylem)
  • provides an upward force on water
    (counteracts gravity)
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17
Q

Density

A

when water freezes the water molecules are pushed further apart (lower density than liquid form)

This means water expands when it freezes therefore it floats

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18
Q

HYDROGEN BONDING and Phase Changes

A

due to hydrogen bonding, it takes more energy to heat up water

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19
Q

KEY INFORMATION

A

Water is most dense at 4℃

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20
Q

Heat Capacity

A

Heat capacity is the measure of how much heat a substance can absorb or release before changing temperature

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21
Q

Water

A
  • heats up slowly and and holds its temperature

Benefits:
- oceans moderate temperatures of nearby land

  • organisms that contain a lot of water can maintain a fairly constant internal temperature
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22
Q

Biogeochemical cycles

A

the ways that elements or compounds move between living and nonliving components and locations

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23
Q

Rapid Cycling

A

substances can cycle between nutrient reservoirs relatively quickly

ex. producer to consumer to decomposer

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24
Q

Slow Cycling

A

substances can also accumulate and be stored for long period of times and unavailable to organisms

ex. creating fossil fuels, forests, mountains

25
Carbon Fast & Short-term
combustion (ie. forest fires, burning fossil fuels), respiration, photosynthesis
26
Carbon Slow & Long-term
when carbon is converted into fossil fuels or carbonates in rocks/ocean floors, weathering of rocks
27
What is a carbon reservoir?
carbon reservoirs, or sinks, are places where carbon is stored: - atmosphere - soil - ocean’s surface - deep ocean **** largest - limestone rock - fossil fuels - trees - organisms
28
Where has steady incline is CO2
the carbon trapped as fossil fuels is being burned, adding carbon into the atmosphere faster than it can removed
29
Carbon Neutral
means removing as much carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as we put in.
30
Why Do We Need Nitrogen
Protein and DNA synthesis
31
The Forms of Nitrogen
N2 = Nitrogen NH3 = Ammonia NH4 = Ammonium NO2 = Nitrite NO3 = Nitrate
32
Why is the nitrogen cycle so important?
Nitrogen is super abundant but not usable until converted into nitrates for plants.
33
Ammonification
occurs during decomposition, bacteria converts organic nitrogen into ammonia / ammonium soil bacteria convert dead organisms and animal waste into ammonium ions
34
Nitrification
the process where bacteria convert ammonia into nitrates or nitrites oil bacteria convert ammonium into nitrite (NO2–) and then nitrate (NO3–) ions for use by plants as a nitrogen source
35
Nitrogen Fixation
process where bacteria turn nitrogen gas deposited in the soil into usable compounds bacteria and lightning ‘fix’ atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into ammonium (NH4+)
36
Denitrification
process where bacteria convert nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen soil bacteria convert nitrite(NO2–) or nitrate (NO3–) back to nitrogen gas (N2), which goes into the atmosphere
37
Is too much nitrogen bad?
While plants need nitrogen, too much causes excess growth in algae
38
Algal Blooms
- cut off sunlight from reaching aquatic plants - plants die and decompose - bacteria remove oxygen from the water resulting in fish and other organisms dying (create dead zones)
39
Nitrogen
plants called ‘legumes’ (soybeans, peas, alfalfa) have tiny bumps called nodules on their roots where nitrogen fixing bacteria live
40
Crop Rotation
is to grow legumes (adds nitrogen to soil) one season and crops another (depletes nitrogen)
41
Phosphorus
- is found in living organisms, land, and water, but it does not cycle through the atmosphere. - is a part of DNA, ATP and a major component of bones and teeth
42
Phosphorus Cycle
Phosphorus moves between organisms, land, and water, but it does not cycle through the atmosphere
43
Why do we need phosphorus?
we need it to make ATP, DNA and bones and teeth
44
Phosphorus Long-term cycle
in bedrock of Earth’s crust as phosphate ions (PO43-)
45
Phosphorus slow-term cycle
wastes from living organisms are recycled by decomposers
46
What is Nutrient Pollution?
a form of water pollution caused by excess nutrients (N and P) entering bodies of water from fertilizer use called “Eutrophication”
47
What happens in Nutrient Pollution?
Eutrophication causing Algal Blooms which leads oxygen depletion and death of fish and other aquatic life
48
Where is Nutrient Pollution happening?
Great Lakes
49
How are dead zones formed?
when the algae die, sink to the bottom, and are decomposed by bacteria
50
Sulfur in the air
the decomposition of organic matter, volcanic off-gassing (after an eruption), and human activities all release sulfur into the atmosphere
51
acid deposition
rain and snow soon return sulfur to Earth’s surface
52
Sulfur in the water
plants and algae take up sulfur in the water-soluble form of sulfate (SO42−)
53
Sulfur in the soil:
- decomposers quickly return sulfur to the soil or air as hydrogen sulfide - soil bacteria use sulfur compounds in photosynthesis or cellular respiration, thus playing an essential role as they convert one form of sulfur to another - some sulfur is taken out of rapid cycling when bacteria convert sulfur to forms that are layered down as sediments, eventually becoming part of rocks
54
Phytoremediation
using plants and bacteria to clean up toxic hydrocarbon spills in the environment
55
Preserving wetlands
bogs, marshes and swamps) because they act as natural water filtration systems
56
Change
Changing the way we meet our food, water and energy needs - Alternative energy sources - Conservation efforts
57
Research
Research about the biosphere using artificial environments (Biosphere 2, NASA’s Advanced Life Support Program, hypothetical Mars colony)
58
Productivity
is the rate at which an ecosystem’s producers capture and store energy over time. measured in energy per area per year (J/m2/a)
59
What are the three highest areas of productivity?
1. algal beds and reefs 2. the tropical rainforests 3. swamps and marshes (wetlands)

Biology 20 Final Exam (8 decks)

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