Mr P bio 4 nutrient cycles

Question 1

what is a carbon sink?

Answer 1

something that stores some carbon containing chemical compound for an indefinite period and removes co2 frm the atmosphere

Question 2

what are sacrobionts and how do they digest?

Answer 2

e.g. bacteria and fungi and digest material through extracellular digestion releasing enzymes that break up the large insoluble molecules into smaller soluble molecules that can be absorbed into bacteria/ fungi

Question 3

what fungi attaches to plant roots and what does it do?

Answer 3

mycorrhizae fungi made of long strands called hyphae and this is a mutualistic relationship as they help plants in their uptake of inorganic ions and water and fungi gain organic compounds such as lgucose from plant

Question 4

what is the nitrogen cycle?

Answer 4

1)nitrogen fixing bacteria found in the soil and in some legumious plant roots turn Nitrogen gas in atmosphere into ammonium ions via hitrogen fixation
2) also sacrobionts in the soil can turn nitrogen compounds from dead animals or their excretion into ammonia through ammonification
3)nitrifying bacteria converts ammonia to nitrites and then nitrates via nitrification
4)nitrate used by plants too produce protein etc
5)plants are eaten and plants and animals die and animals extrete nitrogenous waste are broken down
6) also denitrification occurs via denitifying bacteria which turn nitrate to nitrogen gas as they need it for anaerobic respiration

Question 5

how can nitrogen in the air also be converted intro nitrates?

Answer 5

electrical fixation of N gad to nitrates ib soil due to lightning

Question 6

what is the phosphorous cycle? (soil)

Answer 6

1) most phosphates ions in rocks can be washed into soil due to erosion
2)phosphates taken intro plants via roots and used to make new molecules
3)primary consumer feed on plants and phosphates taken in and made into new molecules then secondary consumer feeds on primary
4) organisms produce faeces containing phosphorous and are digested by sacrobiotic bacteria throguh extracellular digestion releasing phosphate ions back into the soil to be taken up by plants again

Question 7

phosphate cycle (sea)

Answer 7

1) phosphates dissolved from rock into water
2)algae can use phosphates for growth and passed along the aquatic food chain
3)phosphates returned to sea and soil via guano (excretion) of animals e.g. seagulls
4)also dead prganisms fall to bottom of sea and sediment builds on top and phosphates trapped in rocks

Question 8

need to make more flashcards look at questions coz student notes too vaguer