Chapter 38- Biogeochemical Cycles

Question 1

Biogeochemical cycles

Answer 1

Way of depicting the flow of an element or compound through an ecosystem

Question 2

Hydrologic Cycle

Answer 2

Water cycle

Producers and consumers take in H2O from lakes rivers and ground.

Water renters the earths atmosphere through transpiration, respiration and evaporation

Returns to earth as precipitation

Question 3

Carbon cycle

Answer 3

CO2 is the main storage reservoir

Producers use CO2, respiration releases CO2

Decomposers use organic molecules in the soil and release CO2

Combustion releases CO2

Also cycles in aquatic food webs

Question 4

Nitrogen cycle

Answer 4

Microbes convert atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia (N2–> NH4+)

Decomposers convert N from dead organisms to ammonia

Nitrifying bacteria convert ammonia to nitrates

Producers and consumers obtain by eating

During denitrification, bacteria convert extra NH4+ and NO3- in the soil back to N2 and release into atmosphere

Question 5

Atmospheric nitrogen N2

Answer 5

Main inorganic storage reservoir

Question 6

Eutrophication

Answer 6

Rapid growth of algae

Depleted dissolved oxygen in the water

Without oxygen most organisms will die