Nutrient Cycles Flashcards
A molecule that organisms need to live, such as water, nitrates, carbon, phosphates, carbohydrates, proteins, etc.
Nutrient
The movement of molecules between both living and non-living parts of an ecosystem.
Nutrient Cycle
The proper name for a nutrient cycle.
Biogeochemical Cycle
Change from a liquid to a gas as a result of molecules gaining energy.
Evaporation
Change from a gas to a liquid as a result of molecules losing energy, which forms clouds.
Condensation
Water flowing downhill, either across the land or in a stream.
Runoff
A specific location where water is stored underground.
Aquifer
Water falling from the sky in any form (rain, snow, hail, etc.).
Precipitation
A “frozen river” moving slowly downhill.
Glacier
A process where plants release water vapor into the air.
Transpirations
Water stored in pores and cracks in rocks underground.
Groundwater
The upper surface of an underground reservoir of water.
Water Table
The entry of water into the soil and rocks below.
Infiltration
The movement of water through pore spaces underground.
Percolation
Water, wind, and gravity moving sediments downhill.
Erosion
Rocks such as limestone or marble made from the calcium carbonate found in shells and coral.
Carbonate Rocks
The exchange of both carbon and oxygen between plants, animals, and the atmosphere.
Carbon-Oxygen Cycle
The movement of water from one part of Earth to another.
Hydrologic Cycle
A solid fossil fuel made from the compressed remains of ancient swamp and forest plants.
Coal (which is found in different qualities: anthracite is the purest, bituminous is mediocre, and lignite is the least pure)
An unpurified, liquid fossil fuel made from the compressed remains of ancient algae.
Crude Oil
Coal, oil, and natural gas made from ancient plants.
Fossil Fuels
The heating of the globe as a result of the greenhouse effect.
Global Warming
The process where glass (or greenhouse gases) trap heat.
Greenhouse Effect
Any gas in the atmosphere that traps heat, including carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, CFCs, and more.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
The process where plants trap light energy and transfer carbon from CO2 to glucose sugar.
Photosynthesis
Floating algae that conduct photosynthesis in lakes and the ocean.
Phytoplankton
The process where animals get energy by digesting glucose and releasing CO2.
Respiration
A factory that purifies crude oil into products such as gasoline, jet fuel, asphalt, and more.
Refinery
The process where refineries purify crude oil by slowly heating it, so that the different components (or fractions) are separated.
Fractional Distillation
Bacteria that convert unusable nitrogen (N2 gas) into usable nitrogen (nitrates & nitrites).
Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria
Swellings on certain plants that provide shelter for nitrogen-fixing bacteria.
Root Nodules
An industry which makes electricity by burning coal.
Power Plant
Forms of nitrogen that are usable by living things.
Nitrates, nitrites, and ammonium.
The process where certain bacteria in the soil convert usable forms of nitrogen into unusable nitrogen gas.
Nitrogen Fixation
Organisms that recycle nutrients (especially nitrogen compounds) back into the food web.
Decomposers
An form of nitrogen which is not usable by plants or animals, but it is also the most common form.
Nitrogen Gas (N2)
Molecules in organisms that are built using nitrogen.
DNA & Proteins
Plants such as peas or beans that have nitrogen-fixing bacteria living with them.
Legumes
Currents in the ocean that carry nutrient-rich water from the depths of the oceans to the shallows.
Upwelling Currents
Bacteria that convert usable nitrogen (nitrates) into unusable nitrogen (N2 gas).
Denitrification
