APES UNIT 1.4-1.6

The Carbon Cycle

Movement of molecules that contain carbon b/w sources and sinks (co2, glucous, and CH4)

Carbon Sink/Resevoir

a carbon sink that stores more carbon than it releases Ex. ocean (biggest sink)

Carbon Source

something that adds carbon to atm. Ex. coal, oil, and natural gas

Photosynthesis

• plant, algae, and phtoplankto - remove C02 from atm. and converts to energy (carbon sink)

• very quick

Cellular Respiration

• dine by plants and animals to release energy

• use of o2 to break glucose down and release energy

• release co2 into atm.

• co2 source

• very quick

Ocean and Atmosphere

Direct Exchange

CO2 moves directly b/w them by dissolving into and out of ocean water and the surface (happen very quickly and in equal directions, balancing levels of CO2 b/w atm. and ocean)

more carbon in water

activity goes up

algae and phytoplankto

take co2 out of ocean and atm. (ocean acidification)

sedimintation

marine organisms die and are broken down into sediments

Burial

• the process that stores carbon in underground sinks

• over extremely long periods of time

• from sediments

Sediments

compressed rocks, soil, or org. matter ny pressure from overlying rock layer or water

Fossil Fuels

coal, oil, and natural gas are formed from fossilzied remains of org. matter

Extration

• digging up or mining FFs

• takes shorter amount of time than burial

• creates an imbalance

Combustion

• burning FFs as an energy source

• takes shorter amount of time than burial

• creates an imbalance

Nitrogen Cycle

• movement of N containing molecules b/w sources and sinks/resovoirs

• N resoivors hold N for a short amount of time

• 78% of atm. is nitrogen

Example

plants, soil, and atm. (main resvoir) (exists only as N2 (not useable))

N is a critical nutrient

all living things need for DNA making and to make proteins

Nitrogen Fixation

process of N2 gas being converted into boilogicaly avaliable NH3 and NO3-

NH3

ammonia

N03-

caitrate

Bacterial Fixation

certain bacteria live in soil, convert N2 into ammonia

Synthetic Fixation

humans combust fossil fuels to convert N2 into nitrate (produces more carbon)

assimilation

plants and animals take N and incorporate into body (plants = N03- or NH3 and animals = eat plants/animals w/ N)

ammonification

soil bacteria, microbes, and decomposers, converting waste and dead biomes back into NH3 and returning it to soil

Nitrofication

convert NH4 into nitrate then nitrate by soil bacteria

Denitrofication

convert soil N (NO3) into nitrious gas (N20) which returns to atm.

Human Impacts on N cycle

Climate

N2O (nitrious oxide) - greenhouse gas which warms earths climate (produced by the denitrification of nitrate in agricultural soils)

ammonia volatilization

excess fetilizer use can lead to NH3 gas entering atm.

• NH3 causes acid rain and resporitory irritation

• N stay shorter time in soil for crops to use

Leaching

synthetic fertilizer use to nitrate leaching, or being carried out of soil by water

Eutrophication

nitrates run off into local waters, causing algae blooms that block sun and kill aquartic plants

Phosphorus Cycle

movement of phosphorus atoms and molecules b/w sources and inks/resvoirs

• rocks and sediments contain phosphorus mineral = major resvoirs

• P cycle is incredibley slow - take long time for rocks to be carried out

no gasous state

doesn’t enter atmosphere

limiting nutrient

plant growth in ecosystem is often limited by P avalibaility in soil/water

why is phosphorus needed?

for DNA, ATP, bone and tooth, in some animals

Phosphorus Sources

major natural source

weathering rocks (breaking down by weather)

• really slow (limiting nutrient)

Synethetic sources

mining phosphorus minerals and adding to products like synthetic fertilizers and detergents/cleaner

• run off into bodies of water

assimilation

P is absorbed by plany roots and assimilate into tissues

Excretion

animal waste, plant matter, and other biomass is broken down by bacteria/soil decomposers that return phosphate to soil

Sedimentation

phosphate doesn’t dissolve well in water; much of it forms solid bits that fall to the bottom as sediment

• P sediment cab be composed into sed. rocks over long time periods by pressure of overlying water

Geological Uplift

tetonic plates collusion forcing up rock layer that form mountains; P cycle can start over w/ weathering and release pf P from rock

Eutrophication (too much N and P in water)

b/c their are limiting nutrients in aquatic ecosystems, extra input of N and D lead to eutrophication which fuel algae growth

• fertilizer runoff and human/animal waste cantainmination

Positive Feedback Loop

• algae bloom, cover water, and block photosynthesis

• algae will eventually die off and bacteria will break down dead algae and use up O2 (aerobic process)

• lower o2 will kill aq. animals - bacteria uses more o2