Geology- Biogeochemical Cycles

The process of plants losing water through their leaves is called?

transpiration

Why do living things need nitrogen?

To make proteins and amino acids

What is the only process that removes carbon from the atmosphere?

photosynthesis

These gases, such as carbon dioxide, trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere causing global warming

green house gases

Which nutrient is not cycled through the atmosphere?

• carbon

• nitrogen

• phosphorus

• water

phosphorous

This is released by the weathering of rocks.

phosphorus

What is the largest reservoir for the phosphorus cycle?

rocks and minerals

What is the largest reservoir for water?

the ocean

Identify the cycle pictured.

the nitrogen cycle

When nitrogen gas is turned in to a form that plants and animals can use is called

nitrogen fixation

Identify the cycle pictured

the phosphorus cycle

How to animals get nitrogen?

eating other organisms

Which process takes Carbon Dioxide from the air and converts it into a form of carbon used by living things?

photosynthesis

When nitrogen gas is turned in to a form that plants and animals can use is called

nitrogen fixation

What happens when organisms die and decay?

Their nitrogen returns to a soil as ammonium

Identify the cycle pictured.

the carbon cycle

A correct path that nitrogen could take would be?

air → bacteria → plants → animals

How much of the atmosphere is composed of nitrogen gas?

78%

What is happening when one animal is consuming another?

energy is transferred through the food chain

What do the water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, a phosphorus cycles have in common?

All involve the constant cycling of substances between animals, plants, and the Earth.

plants absorb what?

nitrates

Which plant is an example of a legume?

• strawberries

• carrots

• peanuts

• corn

peanuts

What is the process where plants use nitrates to grow?

Assimilation

Organisms require nitrogen to make which of the following?

proteins and nucleic acids

What is the process where bacteria turns Nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into usable compounds?

nitrogen fixation

How do animals get the nitrogen they need?

From the food they eat

What is the formula for atmospheric nitrogen?

N₂

T or F Bacteria fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form plants can use.

True

T or F Plants and animals cannot use nitrogen directly from the air.

true

T or F Plants that have nitrogen fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots are known as legumes.

true

What is the main reservoir of nitrogen?

atmosphere

The process that convert nitrates (NO₃) back to nitrogen gas (N₂) there by replenishing N₂ in the atmosphere is called

Denitrification

If the atmosphere is full of N2, why can’t we just get out nitrogen by breathing?

We have no mechanism to break the triple bond of nitrogen between atoms.

Nitrification happens in the _________?

Soil

How do plants get the nitrogen they need?

Absorb through their roots from the sol or water in which they live

T or F Nitrogen-rich fertilizers and manure can cause eutrophication

true

Nitrogen Fixing bacteria change

nitrogen gas into ammonia

Nitrifying bacteria change

ammonia into nitrates

Denitrifying bacteria change..

nitrates into Nitrogen gas

What happens when organisms die and decay?

Their nitrogen returns to the soil

What happens when too much nitrogen finds its way to the ocean?

algae bloom

T or F Decomposers release nitrogen back into the soil in the form of ammonia.

True

Carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make what in photosynthesis?

carbohydrates

Which of these does not add CO2 to the atmosphere?

• cooking with gas

• planting trees

• burning wood

• riding a bus

planting trees

Burning fossil fuels has raised the concentration of _______ in the atmosphere.

carbon

T or F: The amount of carbon in the atmosphere has NO EFFECT on Earth’s temperature

False

Limestone is a type of rock created from the __________ of dead sea organisms.

shells

Why does too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere cause climate change?

Traps heat and warms planet

Why is the increase in greenhouse gasses an issue?

It causes climate change and increase in the global temperature

_________ is an essential element of all living creatures.

Carbon

When humans burn fossil fuels, most of the carbon quickly enters the ______________ as carbon dioxide.

atmosphere

The circulation of the element carbon among Earth’s atmosphere, land, oceans, and organisms is called ___________.

the carbon cycle

Which is a greenhouse gas?

carbon dioxide

Over ___________ of years, once-living matter that remains in the ground can transform into fossil fuels.

millions

How does the carbon in grass become part of a living animal?

it ends up in its food chain

Since the mid-1800’s, _________ activity has significantly altered the carbon cycle.

human

Organisms that die in the ocean may _______ to the bottom and form limestone rock of a period of time.

sink

Which of the following adds oxygen to the atmosphere?

• forest fires

• photosynthesis

• weathering of rocks

• life processes of animals

photosynthesis

Deforestation contributes to the greenhouse gasses by?

loss of trees that would otherwise remove carbon dioxide from the air

How do living organisms return carbon to the atmosphere in the carbon cycle?

respiration and photosynthesis

Carbon is stored in…

• trees and other living things

• oceans

• underground in soil and fossil fuels

• all are correct

all are correct

What happens in Eutrophication?

it is a massive die off of organisms due to low oxygen

What are the dangers of excessive growth of algae and plants?

they block sunlight for other organisms

T or F: Pants are the only organisms that can directly absorb inorganic phosphorus ions (PO₄³) and turn them into organic molecules that can support all other life processes in an ecosystem

True

In Eutrophication, dissolved oxygen levels decrease because…

bacteria use it as they decompose organic material

Thick layers of algae blocks _____ for photosynthesis

light

What is the original cause of Eutrophication?

excess fertilizer

Too much of a good thing, such as ___________ and _________ nutrients in the lakes and ponds can cause an imbalance resulting in eutrophication

phosphorus, nitrogen

T or F: The phosphorus cycle occurs much more quickly than the carbon and nitrogen cycles

false

Why should farmers be concerned about unused nitrate fertilizer contaminating surface water and groundwater supplies?

excessive amount of nutrients speed up the eutrophication process.

This is NOT a part of the phosphorus cycle

atmospheric phosphate

Which would most likely happen if too many nutrients entered an estuary?

algae blooms would lower dissolved oxygen levels, causing fish to suffocate

When too much ________ grows, it eventually covers the surface of the water

algae

What role do decomposers play in the phosphorus cycle?

return phosphorus into the soil

______ brings phosphorous into our waterways

runoff

This is released by the weathering of rocks

phosphorus

Why is phosphorus important to us in environmental science?

it is a component of many biological molecules, such as, nucleic acids, some lipids, ATP, and bony structures.

Which of the following statements is true of the phosphorus cycle?

the phosphorus cycle utilizes the processes of erosion and weathering

Phosphorus is passes from plants to ______ who eat them

animals

FRQ: Describe a biological process by which carbon is removed from the atmosphere and converted to organic molecules

Photosynthesis removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converts it into organic molecules by using the sun’s energy to convert water and CO₂ into glucose.

FRQ: Describe a biological process by which carbon is converted from organic molecules to a gas and returned to the atmosphere.

Cellular respiration converts sugar back into CO₂ and H₂O and it is released back into the atmosphere.

FRQ: Explain how atmospheric carbon is incorporated into two oceanic sinks.

Atmospheric carbon is incorporated into two oceanic sinks such as ocean absorption and oceanic plants. The ocean absorbs carbon from the atmosphere via precipitation and wave action. Oceanic plants also absorb atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis and release oxygen to the surface.

FRQ: Identify one terrestrial sink, other than fossil fuels, that stores carbon for thousands to millions of years.

Limestone can store carbon for thousands to millions of years since it is primarily made from the shells of deceased marine animals. 

FRQ: The burning of fossil fuels has been shown to increase the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere. Discuss TWO other human activities that increase the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere.

Slash-and-burn techniques and industries increase the concentration of carbon in the atmosphere. The slash and burn technique removes trees that use CO2 by burning them and releasing excess carbon into the atmosphere. The industry like cement manufacturing produces large amounts of CO2 when heating limestone.

FRQ: Identify an environmental problem that results from elevated atmospheric carbon concentrations. Discuss one consequence of the problem you identified. 

The greenhouse effect can occur due to elevated amounts of carbon in the atmosphere. This causes the sun’s heat to get trapped and increases the temperature of our planet.

FRQ: Describe one major way in which the phosphorus cycle differs from the carbon cycle.

The phosphorus cycle does not occur in the atmosphere. It starts from the weathering of rocks and sediments.

FRQ: Identify one reason that phosphorus is necessary for organisms.

Phosphorus is necessary for organisms since is forms DNA and RNA which is crucial for genetic information.