Recycling and Cycles B4 Flashcards
What elements and atoms are recycled?
Water, Carbon, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and phosphorus are recycled
Why is recycling nutrients important for all living organisms?
Recycling nutrients is important for all living organisms because it provides them with the nutrients they need to grow and reproduce.
What is the name for the process where water is evaporated from leaves in plants?
Transpiration
Describe the process of the water cycle.
Sun causes water in lakes, rivers, soil and land to evaporate into water vapour. The water vapour eventually builds up in the air and condenses into clouds. At some point rain comes down from the clouds as liquid water (precipitation) and builds up in lakes, rivers soil and land for the process to be repeated.
What are the 5 main places carbon is stored?
Carbon is stored in the air as CO2, Carbon is stored in plants where it is locked up as biological molecules. Carbon is stored in soil with bacteria and micro-organisms. Carbon is in fossil fuels which are also underground and carbon is stored in animals where it’s locked up in biological molecules.
What 3 processes release CO2 into the atmosphere?
Decomposition, respiration and combustion release CO2 into the atmosphere.
What is the main way of carbon being recycled?
The main way of recycling carbon is through photosynthesis. Plants absorb CO2 and convert it into biological molecules such as glucose. Carbon locked up can be passed out into the atmosphere by respiration or passed onto animals who eat it (primary consumers). The animals who eat the plant also respire releasing the CO2 into the atmosphere.
What process happens when animals or plants die in aerobic soils?
Animals or plants who die get decayed by decomposers and bacteria that live in warm, moist and aerobic conditions of soil. This will break them into smaller pieces until all the carbon has been released into the atmosphere as CO2 by microbial respiration.
What happens when animals and plants die in anaerobic soils?
If plants or animals die in anaerobic soil then they will slowly be converted into fossil fuels like oil, natural gas or coal. These fossil fuels can be burned by humans to release CO2 once again.
How can decay be sped up?
Detritivores such as earthworms and woodside break down decaying material into smaller pieces, increasing their surface area and speeding up decay.
State 3 characteristics of nitrogen.
Nitrogen makes up 78% of the atmosphere and it is very unreactive so it can’t be used for making proteins for growth directly.
What is the name of the process where nitrogen in the air must be turned into a form that plants can use?
Nitrogen fixation
What 2 ways does nitrogen in the air get into soil?
Lightning strikes, they have so much energy that it causes a reaction with oxygen to give off nitrates into soil. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in plant roots also turn nitrogen into nitrates.
What are the 4 different types of bacteria involved in the nitrogen cycle and what do they do?
Decomposers, decompose proteins and urea and turn them into ammonia which goes on to form ammonium ions. Nitrifying bacteria, turns ammonium ions in decaying matter into nitrates. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria, turns atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that plants can use. Denitrifying bacteria, turns nitrates back into nitrogen gas, these are often found in waterlogged soil and provide no benefits to living organisms.
What is the name of the process which uses nitrogen to make fertilisers?
The Haber Process
