Biology - Ecology- Cycles

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Acid gases act as pollutants causing irritation of the eyes, respiratory track and your lungs causing diseases such as asthma and bronchitis.

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Acid rain also increases the uptake of aluminium ions to toxic level.

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Acid rain corrodes metal structures and limestone washing metal ions into rivers and other water ways. This can be toxic to aquatic organisms.

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Acid rain may also leach magnesium ions ( charged particles) from the soil which can prevent proper cell wall formation and chlorophyll production

Consequences of greenhouse gases Advantage

1 Keeps the earth warm and heated.

Consequences of greenhouse gases Disadvantage -global warming 1

1 Melting of Polar Ice caps causes a rise in sea level causing flooding and damage to agricultural land for example, leaching can occur, washing nutrients from the soil making it infertile.

The cycling of nitrogen in nature comprises of 4 processes

1 nitrogen fixation 2 death and decay 3 nitrification 4 Denitrification

Consequences of greenhouse gases Disadvantage -global warming 2

2 Change in climate which may cause drier weather in tropical regions causing lower yield of crop.

Consequences of greenhouse gases Advantage

2 Increased radiation coming back to the earth leads to an increased rate of photosynthesis resulting in greater food production.

Consequences of greenhouse gases Disadvantage -global warming 3

3 Increased temperature of the ocean- altered temperature gradients can lead to extremes in weather patterns for example, hurricanes or tornadoes.

Cycle

A cycle is the continued movement of chemical elements required by life between the living and non living components of the environment.

Greenhouse gases 2

About 10percent of the solar energy is reflected back into space by the earth's atmosphere. Most of the remaining energy, about 83percent penetrates the earth's atmosphere, and reaches the earth's surface, warming it. The other 7 percent never reached the earth's surface.

3 Respiration

All living organisms respire. Carbon dioxide is released back into the atmosphere as a by-product of this process.

Carbon cycle

All organic compounds contain carbon. The most important inorganic source of carbon is carbon dioxide found in the atmosphere. All these molecules play an important part in the carbon cycle.

Artificially Artificial fertilizers

Artificial fertilizers. Nitrogen gas and hydrogen gas (H2) call be made to react in an industrial process forming ammonia. This ammonia is then used to make ammonium (NH4+).

Problems associated with acid rain

Aside train will stop into the soil changing the pH of soil water. Most plants grow in a neutral pH, so plants may not be able to grow as efficiently

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Atmospheric sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide also fame calls responsible for photosynthesis, thus leads to tree starvation and death.

5 Anaerobic fermentation

Bacteria reproduce anaerobically and produce methane gas.

How man + greenhouse gases in atmosphere 1

Burning fossil fuels which increase carbon dioxide into the air.

2 Chloroflourocarbon

CFCs -chloroflourocarbon- released in air, from coolant -examples fridge and air conditioners- and canned sprays -example aerosol-. This has been reduced in recent times.

Why does carbon need to be cycled ?

Carbon needs to be cycled because it's found in limited amounts in nature. Without reuse, it will be lost for example carbon remains trapped in dead organisms if they are not decomposed.

6 Ruminant fermentation

Cattle release methane into the atmosphere.

7 Combustion

Combustion of any dead animal or plant material also releases carbon dioxide.

2 Eaten

Consumers feed on plants and then other organisms. Their bodies then incorporate and utilise these carbon compounds that were originally derived from plants.

Cycles allow

Cycles allow essential materials to be continually reused so that there is no net loss and the sustainability of life forms is not challenged. Two examples of Natural cycles are: carbon and nitrogen.

3 Deforestation

Deforestation results in less plants available to remove carbon dioxide from atmosphere.

8 Greenhouse gas emissions from industries

Greenhouse gas emissions from industries, primarily involved fossil fuels burned on site at facilities for energy. This sector also includes emissions from chemical and mineral transformation processes not associated with energy consumption.

4 + Cars

Increased cars on road will produce more exhaust which contains carbon dioxide .

Naturally Lightning discharges

Lightning discharges cause nitrogen to continue with oxygen to fork nitrogen oxides. These oxides dissolve in rain water to form nitric acids which combines with ions in the soil to form nitrates NO2-¹.

7 Increased population

More individuals respiring therefore more carbon dioxide.

Nitrogen gas

Nitrogen gas N2 is made up of two nitrogen atoms bonded together. There's approximately 79% nitrogen in the air. Nitrogen is not a reactive gas as such our possess in and out of animals unchanged when they breathe.

Nitrogen Fixation

Nitrogen gas must first be changed into a more relative form for example, ammonia and nitrates, before plants and animals can utilise it. The mechanism by which this confederation occurs is called nitrogen fixation. Nitrogen fixation can occur in different ways: naturally and artificially.

Nitrification

The ammonia that is produced from decay is converted into Nitrites (NO2-¹) and then nitrates which plants can Sanford absorb. Nitrification is carried out by nitrifying bacteria. Nitrosomonas conveys ammonia to Nitrites and nitrobacter converts Nitrites. These are all bacteria.

1 Photosynthesis /Carbon fixation

The atmosphere contains about 0.03 percent of Carbon dioxide. Autotrophs take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere during photosynthesis and incorporate it into compounds such as carbohydrates and proteins. This is known as carbon fixation.

Denitrification

The cycle would not be complete if nitrogen gas was not returned to the atmosphere. Denitrifying bacteria for example Pseudosomonas denitrificans converts nitrogen on the soil in the form of ammonia nitrates, into nitrogen gas. This is released into the air and nitrogen fixation behind again.

Greenhouse gases 1

The greenhouse effect is a natural process. The sun emits radiation towards the earth's surface.

Greenhouse gases 3

The radiation is then re-emitted or re-radiated back to the earth's atmosphere. The earth's atmosphere contains greenhouse gases mainly methane, H4, and carbon dioxide, CO 2. These reflect some of the radiation back to the earth's surface raising the earth's temperature.

Naturally Nitrogen fixing bacteria

There are bacteria living free in the soil for example azotobacter, or found in the root nodules of leguminous plants for example, Rhizobium. Plants can't absorb nitrogen gas so these bacteria combine nitrogen with oxygen top form compounds such as Nitrites and nitrates.

6 Fossilation

Under high pressure dead plants and animals become fossilized forming fossil fuels such as crude oil and coal. These release carbon dioxide during combustion.

Acid rain

When factories emit sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into the atmosphere ( formed as a result of combustion ). These gases dissolve in atmospheric water / water vapour and form acid clouds. When precipitation occurs, these oxides fall in the form of dilute sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Acid clouds may be formed far from the source of pollution as the gases may diffuse or be moved by air currents. Rain typically has a pH of 7 which is neutral. Acid rain can have a pH as low as 4.

4 Death and Decay/ Urine and Faeces / 5 Respiration of decomposers

When organisms die or lose parts under high pressure for example a plant shedding leaves, decomposers feed on the dead organic matter, incorporating carbon into their bodies. Waste materials from organisms are also used as a food source by decomposers.

Death and decay

When plants and animals die, their bodies begin to decompose. When compounds like proteins are broken down by decay bacteria also known as putrefying bacteria, ammonia is released into the soil. Urine is also acted upon by decay bacteria.

Eutrophication

When there is a large amount of nitrates produced(usually from fertilizers) nitrates can be washed out of the soil and into fresh water by precipitation. Untreated sewage may also wash into these water ways. The build up of nutrients ( mainly nitrates and phosphates) results in increased and rapid growth of algae ( algae blooming). Algae use up dissolved oxygen in water, reducing the amount available for other aquatic organisms. When the algae die, they are decomposed by bacteria (whose numbers also increase due to the large amount of oxygen. As a result there is death of fish and other aquatic animals. This is known as Eurotrophicatuion