Ecosystem Processes: Elemental Cycles

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering fundamental concepts, units, and specific element details from the lecture on elemental cycles and ecosystem processes.

Elemental Cycles

The pathways that elements move through as they change states and pass between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and geosphere.

Global Hydrological Fluxes

The circulation of earth/atmosphere systems involving movement by evaporation, condensation, precipitation, sublimation, transpiration, run off, and infiltration.

Hydragyrum

Former name for Mercury ($Hg$), derived from the Greek words hydor (water) and argyros (silver).

Mega gram

A unit of mass equivalent to a million grams ($1,000,000\,g$), also known as a metric tonne.

Petagram (Pg)

A unit of mass equivalent to $1\,billion\,metric\,tonnes$, $1\,gigatonne$, or $1 \times 10^{15}\,g$.

Allotropes

Different structural forms of an element, such as those exhibited by Carbon.

Average carbon residence time

A measurement calculated using the formula $\frac{\text{carbon density} \times \text{area}}{\text{NPP}}$.

Beggiatoa

A bacterium living in sulphur-rich environments discovered by Sergei Winogradsky to oxidise hydrogen sulphide.

Electron Tower

A hierarchy where bacteria use the electron acceptor yielding the highest energy ($O_2$) first, followed by alternates like $NO_3^-$, $SO_4^{2-}$, and $CO_2$ as they are depleted.

Terra gram (Tg)

A unit of mass equivalent to $1 \times 10^{12}\,g$ or $1 \times 10^6\,tonnes$ ($Mt$).

Haber-Bosch

A process used to manufacture ionic forms of nitrogen synthetically.

Phosphate ($PO_4^{3-}$)

The most prevalent derivative compounds of phosphorus, essential for forming cell walls, DNA, RNA, and ATP.

Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE)

The balance of $CO_2$ absorption and release between terrestrial ecosystems and the atmosphere, defined by the formula $NEE = Re - GPP$.

Gross Primary Production (GPP)

The total amount of carbon fixed by autotrophs in an ecosystem through photosynthesis.

Total Ecosystem Respiration ($Re$)

The combined autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration within an ecosystem.

Rhizodeposition

The process by which primary carbon substrates like glucose are released into the soil by plant roots.

Bioaccumulation

The process by which toxins such as Mercury ($Hg$) build up in living organisms over time.