Nutrient Cycling

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary related to nutrient cycling, ecosystems, and the impact of human activities on natural processes.

Nutrient Cycling

The process by which nutrients move through the environment and are recycled among biotic and abiotic components.

Trophic Level

The hierarchical levels of an ecosystem, defined by how energy is obtained; includes producers, primary consumers, secondary consumers, etc.

Primary Producer

Organisms that produce their own food through photosynthesis, serving as a base of the food chain.

Decomposer

Organisms that break down dead organic material and recycle nutrients back into the ecosystem.

Nitrogen Fixation

The process of converting atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into biologically available forms like nitrates and ammonium.

Eutrophication

The process by which excessive nutrients, particularly phosphorus and nitrogen, lead to algal blooms and oxygen depletion in aquatic ecosystems.

Denitrification

The process of converting nitrate back into nitrogen gas (N2), thereby releasing it into the atmosphere.

Phosphorus Cycle

The cycle of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere, with no gaseous phase; cycles locally.

Greenhouse Effect

The trapping of heat in the Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases, causing an increase in global temperatures.

Human Impacts on Nutrient Cycling

The effects of human activities, such as agriculture and urban development, on the natural cycling of nutrients.