Water Cycle, Nutrient Cycle, Nitrogen Cycle, Carbon Cycle, Phosphorus Cycle, Nutrient Limitation

What does water move between?

The Ocean, Atmosphere, and Land

(water cycle)

What is the process in which water changes from liquid form into atmospheric gas?

Evaporation

(water cycle)

What is the process in which water evaporates from leaves of plants?

Transpiration

(water cycle)

How are clouds formed?

Water vapor condenses into tiny droplet

(water cycle)

How does water return to earth from the atmosphere?

Precipitation

(water cycle)

What chemical substances does an organism need to sustain life?

Nutrients

(nutrient cycle)

How are nutrients passed between organisms and the environment?

Biogeochemical Cycles

(nutrient cycle)

What obtains nutrients in simple inorganic forms from their environment?

Primary Producers

(nutrient cycle)

What obtains nutrients by eating other organisms?

Consumers

(nutrient cycle)

What is a key ingredient of living tissue?

Carbon

(carbon cycle)

What biological processes take up and release carbon and oxygen?

Photosynthesis, Respiration, Decomposition

(carbon cycle)

What geochemical processes release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and oceans?

Erosion and Volcanic Activity

(carbon cycle)

What do biogeochemical processes do?

Store carbon under ground

(carbon cycle)

What human activities release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere?

Mining, Cutting and Burning Forests, Burning Fossil Fuels

(carbon cycle)

What do organisms require to make proteins?

Nitrogen

(nitrogen cycle)

What is the only thing that can use nitrogen gas directly?

certain types of bacteria

(nitrogen cycle)

Where do the special bacteria live?

In the soil and on the roots of plants called Legumes

(nitrogen cycle)

Nitrogen Fixation

Converts nitrogen gas into ammonia - used by bacteria on legumes

(nitrogen cycle)

Nitrification

Converts ammonia into nitrates or nitrites - used by other bacteria

(nitrogen cycle)

After nitrification what are producers able to use the nitrogen for?

to make proteins

(nitrogen cycle)

Assimilation

occurs when plants take up nitrates or nitrites - to make proteins

(nitrogen cycle)

Ammonification

when plants and animals die or poop ammonia is formed in the soil

(nitrogen cycle)

Dentrification

bacteria does the opposite of nitrogen fixation - reduction of nitrates to nitrogen gas

(nitrogen cycle)

What helps organisms form important molecules like DNA and RNA?

Phosphorus

(phosphorus cycle)

What form does most phosphorus exist in?

inorganic molecule

(phosphorus cycle)

What happens as sediments wear down?

inorganic phosphate is released into the soil

(phosphorus cycle)

What happens when phosphate eventually moves into the ocean?

Marine animals use it

(phosphorus cycle)

What happens when phosphate stays on land?

cycles between organisms and the soil

(phosphorus cycle)

What do plants do to phosphate?

Plants bind phosphate into organic compounds

(phosphorus cycle)

What happens to organic phosphate?

It moves through the food web and the rest of the ecosystem

(phosphorus cycle)

What is the rate of primary productivity of an ecosystem?

the rate at which organic matter is created by producers

(nutrient limitation)

What controls the primary productivity of an ecosystem?

the amount of an ecosystem

(nutrient limitation)

What happens if a nutrient is in short supply?

It will limit an organism's growth

(nutrient limitation)

Limiting Nutrient

When an ecosystem is limited by one single nutrient that is scarce or cycles very slowly

(nutrient limitation)

What happens if an aquatic ecosystem if it receives a large input of a limiting nutrient?

an immediate increase in the amount of algae and other producers

(nutrient limitation)

Algal Bloom

when there is an immediate increase in the amount of algae due to a large input of a limiting nutrient

(nutrient limitation)

What can an algal bloom do?

disrupt the equilibrium of an ecosystem

(nutrient limitation)