biogeochemical cycles (unit 2)

order of the water cycle

evaporation, condensation, precipitation, collection

evaporation

when the sun heats up water molecules and they turn into water vapor or steam, and also happens in plants (transpiration)

condensation

• water vapor in the air gets cold and returns to liquid form.

• clouds form when the cooling water vapor condenses into droplets around dust particles

precipitation

when water falls from the clouds in the form or rain, sleet, snow, or hail

collection

when precipitation goes back into the oceans, lakes, rivers, or becomes ground water or runoff

how does carbon cycle through the biosphere

plants take in co2 from the atmosphere, animals eat the carbon that is in plants or other animals, and is then released back into the atmosphere when those animals die and decompose

how do humans affect the carbon cycle

when humans burn fossil fuels, it releases more carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming

order of the nitrogenous compounds in the nitrogen cycle

N2, NH3, NO3, NO2

N2 → NH3

nitrogen fixing bacteria

NH3 → NO3 → NO2

nitrifying bacteria

NO2 → N2

denitrifying bacteria

nitrogen fixing bacteria

nitrogen fixation

nitrifying bacteria

nitrification

denitrifying bacteria

dentrification

why are legumes special

because they contain roots with nodules that contain nitrogen fixing bacteria

how do humans affect the nitrogen cycle

by using a lot of fertilizers and fossil fuels, which cause eutrophication and can cause organisms to die because of it

difference between weathering and leaching

weathering breaks down rocks over time and leaching removes dissolved phosphate from soil by vertical water movement

why is the phosphorus cycle a very slow cycle

phosphorus is not typically found in large quantities and weathering is a very long process

where is most of the carbon found

the ocean

where is most of the nitrogen found in

the atmosphere

where is most of the phosphorus found in

in rocks