Cycles Quiz - Honors Bio

Carbon

The element found in all living things

Carbon dioxide

A form of carbon that exists in the atmosphere that is MOST abundant in our atmosphere.

Fossil fuel

Coal, oil, natural gas, and other fuels that are made from the decay of plants and animals.

Carbon cycle

The movement of carbon around all the Earth's systems.

Decomposition

The process of breaking down organic material, such as dead plant or animal tissue

Photosynthesis

Plants use the sun's energy to convert water and carbon dioxide into sugars

Cellular respiration

metabolic process used to acquire energy in living systems; releases CO2

Atmosphere

the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet.

Biosphere

Consists of all life on Earth and all parts of the Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and the atmosphere.

Carbon is taken out of the atmosphere by...

photosynthesis

Combustion

The process of burning, releases carbon compounds (CO2). The creation of fire

Carbon is added to the atmosphere by...

Breathing, burning fossil fuels, forest fires, volcanoes

Assimilation

The absorption and incorporation of carbon compounds into the tissues of living organisms

Deposition

Deposition is the laying down of sediment carried by wind, flowing water, the sea or ice

Sedimentation

when organisms die, their carbon is added to ocean sediments, which over time produce limestone

water cycle

the continuous process by which water moves from Earth's surface to the atmosphere and back

evaporation

a process at which molecules at the surface of a liquid absorb enough energy to change to the gaseous state

condensation

water vapor cools and becomes a liquid

precipitation

when water in the form of ice, rain, sleet, hail, or snow, falls to Earth

transpiration

the water that plants give off as part of their respiratory process (they "breathe" in carbon dioxide and "breathe" out oxygen - in this process, they also make water)

surface runoff

when precipitation hits the ground, it is either absorbed, or it flows over the surface of the earth

water vapor

water in its gas form

groundwater

water that is in the ground

What 2 factors drive the water cycle?

Gravity and energy from the sun

How does water evaporate?

Water heats up from the sun causing the water to change from a liquid to a gas and rises into the atmosphere.

How does condensation happen?

Condensation is formed when water vapor in the atmosphere cools and turns from a gas to a liquid.

Infiltration

the process by which water on the ground surface enters the soil

Nitrogen Cycle

The circulation and reutilization of nitrogen in both inorganic and organic phases

Where is nitrogen found?

In proteins

RNA and DNA

Nitrogen is so essential to life because it is a key component of amino acids and nucleic acids. Even ATP, the basic energy currency of living things, contains nitrogen.

5 main processes

Nitrogen Fixation, Ammonification, Assimilation, Nitrification, and Denitrification

How much of earth's atmosphere is nitrogen

78% of earths atmosphere is nitrogen which is a majority

Can we use atmospheric nitrogen (N2)?

Plants and animals cannot use it!

legumes

Certain kids of plants that have small bumps on their roots called nodules. These nodules have nitrogen-fixing bacteria.

Why is nitrogen important?

the availability can affect the rate of key ecosystem processes(primary production and decomposition)

Nitrogen Fixation

Bacteria change Nitrogen into a useable form

Ammonification

Decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia (NH3).

Nitrification

Ammonium converted into nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) through work of nitrifying bacteria.

Denitrification

Process where Dinitrogen (N2) is formed and heads back into the atmosphere

Assimilation

absorbing Nitrogen into one's body (normally by consumption for animals)