Water, Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Cycle
Why do herbivores need nitrogen?
Synthesis of amino acid, proteins, & nucleic acids
How much water falls back as rain?
52%
What percent of the air is nitrogen?
78%
How much water enters the hydrologic cycle?
80% water enters from evaporation
What happens when primary and secondary producer die?
Bodies are broken down detritus feeders, organic matter returned to soil/atmosphere
What is denitrification?
Breaks down nitrogen in soil & releases it into atmosphere. (Nitrates -> Nitrogen)
How does carbon get in the ocean?
CO2 from atmosphere dissolves/diffuses into ocean CO2 in ocean combines with calcium in water to form CaCO3 - makes up shells of sea creatures, shells decay and turn into limestone, limestone dissolves in water and releases carbon back to atmosphere
What happens to the phosphorus that is carried by runoff to the oceans?
Concentrated in marine sediment and is incorporated into bodies of fish
What draws water back to the earth?
Gravity (precipitation)
What function do plants have in the forest in the carbon cycle?
Take carbon from CO2 in atmosphere and "fix" it into organic compounds (starch, cellulose, carbohydrates)
Why is nitrogen essential to life?
It is a key component to form animo acids, nucleic acids, and ATP
Why is phosphorus an important biological molecule?
Makes up ATP (used in photosynthesis), nucleic acids, and cell membranes
What is different about the phosphorus cycle as compared to water, carbon and nitrogen cycle?
No atmospheric phosphorous Phosphorus is a limiting nutrient in aquatic systems because most precipitates out of the water (forms solid because insoluble) and doesn't stay dissolved in the water
Where is most of the Earth´s carbon located and in what form?
Ocean , CO2 (carbon dioxide)
How are phosphates incorporated into organic molecules in plants and animals?
Phosphates in water are absorbed by plants, also enter soil where they are absorbed.
How does carbon enter the biotic part of ecosystem?
Photosynthesis
Name three important needs for water.
Photosynthesis, digestion, & cellular respiration
What happens to the phosphates when plants and animals die?
Plant/animal waste
What is a primary producer?
Plants (also known as autotrophs)
What is transpiration?
Plants releasing water from their leaves into the atmosphere
Name two ways water travels from land to enter the ocean.
Seepage from aquifer (from ground) and runoff (from surface)
What is a major reservoir for ammonia?
Soil
What are nitrogen fixing bacteria?
They are bacteria with root modules that convert nitrogen in the soil to NH3 (ammonia) so plants can take it up from the soil to use.
How do plants and animals get nitrogen if not from the atmosphere?
Through nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil & roots, soil to ammonia
What is a fossil fuel?
Used to generate energy; examples are coal, oil, natural gas
How is water distributed through the biosphere?
Water (hydrologic) cycle
What happens to phosphorus that erodes from rock and soil?
Water washes over rock and dissolves P and washes into rivers/streams. Forms phosphate with oxygen
What is an aquifer?
Water-saturated zone of soil and rocks
What does runoff include?
Waters from pollutants, rivers, and melting from glaciers and snowfields.
What is the role of each of following in the carbon cycle? State an example of each. a. Producer b. Secondary producer c. Decomposer
a. plants - incorporate carbon material into organic compounds using photosynthesis b. rabbits - eat primary producers c. microorganism - break down dead producers/consumers and release organic matter back into the soil for producers to use
How are phosphates incorporated into organic molecules in aquatic plants and animals?
incorporated into bodies of fish
