Nutrient Cycle

Forest clearance

________ reduces phosphate levels, as phosphate in trees enters soil as ash.

fuel combustion

Fossil ________ and land clearance can deeply affect the carbon cycle by introducing carbon into the atmosphere from longer term stores.

Nutrients

________ are chemicals required for plant and animal growth and other life processes.

Carbon

________ is cycled through living and decaying organisms, the atmosphere, bodies of water, and soil and rock.

Nitrogen

________ is an important component of DNA and proteins.

Excess phosphorus

________ settles on floors of lakes and oceans, eventually forming sedimentary rock.

High levels of nitrogen

________ can cause eutrophication (too many nutrients), and increased algal growth in aquatic ecosystems, depriving aquatic organisms of sunlight and oxygen.

fuel combustion

Fossil ________ and burning organic matter can release nitrogen into the atmosphere, where it then can form acid rain.

Nutrients

________ spend different amounts of time in stores within the atmosphere, oceans and land.

Carbon

________ is an essential component of cells and life sustaining chemical reactions.

Nutrients

________ are stored for short periods of time in short- term stores, such as living organisms and the atmosphere.