Lecture 21 Flashcards
Nutrients are _________ within ecosystems
Recycled
What is the study of the cycling of nutrients?
Biogeochemistry
Biogeochemistry
Involved biological, geological (physical), and chemical components
Nutrients are found within various ________ in ecosystems
Pools
The _______ back and forth between pools accomplish the recycling
Fluxes
Two largest pools of water
Oceans
Water vapor in the atmosphere
Water fluxes between:
Oceans and atmosphere by way of evaporation and precipitation
Water vapor above the _______ is transported above land by way of wind
Ocean
Precipitation over land is balanced by
Evaporation and transpiration
What transport(s) water from land back to the ocean?
Rivers, streams, and aquifers (ground water)
Two largest pools of nitrogen
Atmospheric nitrogen gases (N2)
Within organisms (nucleic acids, amino acids, ATP)
Nitrogen fluxes between:
Atrmosphere and organisms by way of nitrogen fixation
–Fixed by certain bacteria
Nireogen-fixing bacteria in the soil
Convert N2 to ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-), while denitrifying bacteria return N2 to the atmosphere
Nitrogen has an internal cycle as well
Nitrogen within organisms is returned to the soil by decomposition
Two largest pools of phosphorous
Rocks and soil
Within organisms (as phosphate groups in nucleic acids, ATP, cell membranes, and bones and teeth)
Internal cycling of Phosphorous
Phosphorous is picked up by plants and returned to the soil by decoposition
Large-scale cycling of Phosphorous
Phosphorous is added to the soil from rocks by weathering/erosion, is leached from the soil to the lake/ocean floor, and is uplifted to form terrestrial rocks
Two largest pools of Carbon
Atmospheric carbon dioxide
Within organisms as organic carbon
Carbon fluxes between
The atmosphere and organisms by way of photosynthesis and cellular respiration
Some carbon is trapped in organic form in sedimentary rock
Fossils
The burning of fossil fuels (examples?), as well as wood, returns _____________________________________-
Coal, oil, and gas; this carbon to the atmosphere in the form of CO2
Most of the solar radiation that reaches Earth is _______ by Earth’s surface
Reflected/re-radiated
_____________ in the atmosphere capture much of the radiated energy, preventing it from escaping back into space
Greenhouse gases
Main greenhouse gas
CO2
Other greenhouse gases
N2, sulfur, methane, ozone, water vapor
Greenhouse gases capturing reradiated energy keeps the Earth
Warm enough to support life
Excessive burning of __________________ by humans is increasing _______________
Fossil fuels and wood
Atmospheric CO2
At the same time, ___________ by humans is reducing the number of plants that can ____________________
Deforestation
Remove the atmospheric CO2 by photosynthesis
With more ____ in the atmosphere, more _________________ is trapped, and Earth is warmed beyond normal
CO2
Reradiated heat
Implications of Global Warming:
Melting polar ice will result in rising sea levels
–Flooding coastal areas
Changes in global climate patterns will alter the distribution of biomes
–Temperate grasslands = agriculture
