Studied by 3 peoplewhat is carbon?
An element that is necessary for life
Where is carbon found?
Macromolecules, our atmosphere, minerals and rocks, fossil fuels, organic living materials in soil or aquatic sediments
When does carbon change its form?
As it cycles
What role do decomposers play in the carbon cycle?
Break down dead materials and return the nutrients
What role do photosynthetic organisms have in the carbon cycle?
They remove carbon from the atmosphere and convert it into simple sugars
What role do animals, plants and fungi have?
They do cellular respiration Iām order to break down carbon rich foods for energy
What are the two impacts humans have on the carbon cycle?
Combustion and Deforestation
What is combustion?
When wood or fossil fuels are burned which causes a high increase of carbon in the atmosphere
What is deforestation?
Less carbon is taken from the atmosphere during photosynthesis because trees are being destroyed
What is water and the water cycle necessary for?
For the life process of all living things
Where is water found?
On the earths surface, under the earths surface, In the atmosphere, and in living organisms
What is the water cycle driven by?
The sun
What role do living organisms play in the water cycle?
All organisms take in water for nutrient transport, they all release water when breaking down food or energy, autotrophs take in water to make sugar
What are the two human impacts on the water cycle?
Deforestation, Paving/building/development
Where is nitrogen found?
Waste, soil, fossil fuels, in the atmosphere as a form of a gas (plants and animals cannot use this form)
why is the nitrogen cycle different from other geochemical cycles?
No step is completed without the help of living organisms
What organism is the most important for converting nitrogen into different forms
Bacteria
What do fungi and other decomposers do?
Break down nitrogen rich waste and put it in the soil
What are the different impacts that humans have on the nitrogen cycle?
Fertilizers, combustion
How do fertilizers impact the nitrogen cycle?
They add too much nitrogen to the soil creating an imbalance which can causes eutrophication
How does combustion have an impact?
Burning fossil fuels release excess nitrogen into the atmospjere
What is a population?
All the individuals of a species that live together in one place at the same time
Why does population grow?
An individual tends to have multiple offspring over a lifetime
What are the different kinds of population characteristics?
Size, density, spatial dispersion, range
What is density?
The number of individuals that live in a given area
What is spacial dispersion?
How the individuals are arranged in a given space
What is range?
Where the populations live geographically
What are the three patterns of population dispersion?
Clumped, Uniform, Random
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