Studied by 5 people
A sedimentary rock can become an igneous rock.
true
The San Andreas Fault is an example of a
a transform margin
Silicates are chemically weathered through
hydrolosis
The lithosphere contains
the crust and the uppermost part of the mantle
The most brittle layer of the Earth is the _________, which includes the crust within it.
Lithosphere
The solid layer in the Earth that is able to flow (slowly!) is called the
asthenosphere
Where is the asthenosphere located?
the upper layer of the mantle
Earth's core is
is composed of mainly iron
is under enormous pressure
produces the Earth's magnetic field
Volcanoes form in subduction zones because...
Water is released from sediments lowering the melting point of the overlying mantle.
The basic ingredients for soil are:
minerals, air, water, and living and dead organic material
A soil layer enriched in partially decayed organic matter found in mature soils is an…
A horizon
The best type of soil for agriculture is a
mollisol
Photosynthesis
uses CO2 and produces oxygen
Atmospheric Nitrogen…
must be converted into a more reactive form before it can be incorporated into plants
Earth’s different biomes are determined by…
regional differences in average temperature and annual precipitation
Tropical rainforests...
have very high species diversity
are underlain by oxisols
Coal deposits
are originally organic sediments in shallow, wet terrestrial environments
take 10's of millions of years to form from heat and pressure
Which of these nutrients contribute to eutrophication?
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Water has high surface tension because
it is a polar molecule.
Ecological Succession involves
changing plant communities after a disturbance.
Steps of Natural selection in Order
genetic mutation produces new trait in offspring
new trait allows organism to outcompete other individuals for resources
individual passes new traits to future generations
individuals with new trait stop mating with individuals without trait
Annual net additions to atmospheric carbon are about half of the annual carbon emissions from human activities.
true
geological repository of carbon in coal from
terrestrial plant matter
geological repository of carbon in oil
marine organisms
geological repository of carbon in limestone
marine shells and skeletons
Phosphorus cycle has
no atmospheric component
Nitrogen
has to be fixed by bacteria to be available for use in living things
Carbon
main element in living things
Which of the following are true about coral reefs?
they have high species diversity
they contain symbiotic algae
they are one of the most productive ecosystems on Earth
Pollination is an example of
mutualism
Outer core
semisolid, made of molten iron, produces magnetic field
Inner core
solid
uppermost mantle
rigid, contains lithosphere
Asthenosphere
soft part of mantle, flows
Pangaea
the ancient supercontinent of 200 million years ago. Single landmass of all continents
subduction zones
associated with volcanic activity
Oceanic crust goes down cause
it's more dense (but thinner)
Continental Crust won’t go down into the earth
because it's less dense, (but thicker)
Continental crust
35 km, density 2.7 g/cm3
Oceanic crust
10km, density 3.08/cm3
What depresses the melting point of the mantle?
water
Igneous
formed from melting, crystallization, hot temp, high pressure
Sedimentary
weathering, sedimentation, lithification, low temp/pressure
Metamorphic
heat and pressure, recrystallization, med temp, med pressure
What is the core made of?
metallic, iron
What is the mantle made of?
silicates
What is the crust made of?
mainly silicates, also carbonates (mostly as sediments) and sulfides (ores)
Soil
made of parent material (rock) that is weathered, type depends on rock type as well as plant matter, the livivng membrane of the planet
Soil recipe
minerals, air, water, organic material, organisms
Physical Weathering
breaking up the rock
-ex. Wind, glaciers, freeze/thaw
-most intensive in mountainous areas
Chemical Weathering
acids in water break down minerals in rock
-ex acid rain
-most intensive in tropical areas
Hydrolysis
CARBON SINK acidic rain water converts minerals into ions bound to H+
-acidic rainwater: H2O (atm) + CO2 (atm) -> H2CO3
dissolution
Acid rainwater dissolves limestone
Atmospheric co2 transferred to ocean deposited in sediments
O Horizon contains surface litter:
fallen leaves and partially decomposed organic debris
A Horizon contains topsoil:
organic matter (humus), living organisms, inorganic minerals, dark rich soil
E Horizon contains zone of leaching:
dissolved or suspended materials move downward, pale stripe in soil profile
B Horizon contains subsoil:
accumulation of iron, aluminum, humic compounds, and clay leached down from A and E horizons
soil is orange from iron
C Horizon contains weathered parent material:
partially broken down inorganic minerals
chunks of rocks
R horizon contains bedrock:
impermeable layer, solid rock
Grassland soil: mollisol
large a horizon, B horizon, c horizon, annual plants, dark and thick, fastest moving
Forest soil: podzol:
a horizon shallow, b horizon quite big, c is deeper
Desert soil: aridisol
very shallow A horizon, shallow B horizon, huge C horizon, slowest moving
Spodosols
(boreal forest) young, acidic soils of cool, moist conifer forests underlain by pale ash colored layer
Alfisols
soils of deciduous forest, relatively fertile, medium brown, rich in aluminum and iron
Mollisols
soft crumbly dark soils formed under grass
Oxicodal
rain forest
Lester series
deep well drained soils that formed in calcareous loamy glacial till plains and moraines
Nutrient
elements used as building blocks in organic compounds needed to build living cells
Photosynthesis elements and processes
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
Respiration
Biogeochemical cycles:
natural and anthropogenic
Anthropogenic
human origin
Coal takes
10 of millions of years to form
Oil takes
minimum of 50 million years
Natural sources of carbon
207 petagrams (10 to the 15th power)
Natural Removals of carbon from the atmosphere
210 peragrams
The natural carbon cycle has a
net negative balance
The natural carbon cycle absorbs
half of anthropogenic atmospheric
Main nitrogen reservoir
atmosphere
How do plants “fix” nitrogen?
legumes have nitrogen fixing bacteria living in nodules of their root tissue that breaks the triple bond and turns it into a form plants can use
Natural Nitrogen
196-733 teragrams (10 to the 12th power)
Anthropogenic nitrogen
170-445 teragrams
Eutrophication
the addition of excess nutrients to natural waters
Nitrogen reservoirs
biota, crust, atmosphere, fertilizer production
Phosphorus
necessary for nucleic acids, cell membranes, teeth, bones, energy
Phosphorus reservoirs
biota and crust
Anthropogenic phosphorus
12 teragrams
Natural phosphorus
8 teragarms
Sulfur
important for proteins, comes from minerals
Sulfur reservoirs
seaspray, volcanos, coal plants
Sulfuric acid
lowers ph very much, creates acid rain
Coral
tropical water
nutrient poor water
-algae symbiotic with coral (corals are animals that grow their own gardens)
-nutrients are in organisms not in ground or water
-to many nutrients in water causes algae to grow in water, shading the coral reefs
SeaGrass Meadows
more productive than coral reefs
-ecosystem services
-oxygen production
-sea bottom stabilization
-protects coats from erosion and storms
-Carbon fixation
-0.1% of ocean floor but 10% of carbon storage
-Fragile
-sensitive to eutrophication, overfishing, sediment pollution, climate change
Upwelling zones
-winds cause surface water to move away from shore
-surface water movement causes water to upwell from below
Tolerance limits
optimal range of temperature environment
individual adaptation
acclimation
-adjustment to conditions
-ie. Acclimation, dogs growing out winter coat
population adaptation
evolution
-though genetic mutations creating new traits
-natural selection
What determines how long it will take a population to adapt?
The lifespan on the organism, as well as how often they breed
species
small scale, adapted to microenvironment, small spatial scale
ecosystem
-large scale. Adapted to macroenvironment, large spatial scale
-ecosystems include biota(communities of organisms)and their physical environment (crust/ocean)
Primary Community Productivity
converting solar energy to chemical energy
-can be very productive, not necessarily efficient
-measured in kilocalories
Note 
Flashcard (121)