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C and N Cycles
Question | Answer |
---|---|
What is a carbon source? | A process that adds carbon to the atm. Ex. Combustion, Animal ag, Deforestation. |
What is a carbon sink? | A carbon reservior that shores more carbon than it releases. Ex. Ocean, plants, soil |
What is the key carbon reservoir. | The atmosphere. |
What are some quick processes of the carbon cycle? | Combusion, photosynthesis, and cell. respiration |
What are some slow steps of the carbon cycle? | Sedimentation and burial |
What is the chemical equation for photosynthesis? | 6CO2 + 6H2O ---> C6H12O6 + 6O2 |
What is the chemical equation for cell. respiration? | C6H12O6 + 6O2 ---> 6CO2 + 6H2O + energy |
How does carbon move between the ocean and atm? | It moves by dissovling into and out of the ocean at the ater at the surface. Very quick and in equal directions. |
How do algae and phytoplankton play are role in the carbon cycle? | They take CO2 out of the ocean and the atm. thorugh photosynthesis. |
How does the coral reef and marine org. with shells play a role in the carbon cycle? | They take CO2 out of the ocean to amke calcium carbonate exoskeleton. |
What is sedimentation in the carbon cycle? | When marine org. die, their bodies sink to the ocean floor where they're brokne down into sediments that contain C. |
What is burial in the carbon cycle? | Over long periods of time, pressure of water compresses C-containting sediments on ocean floor into sedimentar stone (limestone, sandstone) - long-term C reservoir. |
How are fossil fuels? | fossilized remains of org. matter |
What is extraction and combustion? | Digging up or mining FFs and buring them as energy souce; releases CO2 into the atm. |
What are some short term nitrogen reservoirs? | Plants, atm., soil. |
Main N reservoir? | The atm. |
Why do all living things need N? | For DNA and amino acids to make proteins? |
Nitrogen and phosporus are...? | Limiting nutrients |
What is nitrogen fixation? | Process of N2 gas being converted into biologically avaible (useable by plants) NH3 (ammonia) or NO3 (nitrate) |
What is bacterial fixation? | Certain bacteria that live in the soil, or in symbiotic relationship with plant root nudules, convert N2 into NH3 (ammonia). |
What does rhizobacteria do? | Live in root nodules of legumes and fix N for them in return for amino acids from the plants. |
What is synthetic fixation? | Human combuss FFs to convert N2 gas into nitrate (NO3). |
What is assimilation? | Plants and animals taking N in and incorparting it into their body. |
What do form of nitrogen do plants take in from the soil? | NO3 or NH3 |
How do animals take in nitrogen? | Through eating plant or other animals. |
What is ammonification? | Soil bacteria, microbes and decomposers converting waste and dead biomass back into NH3 and returing it to soil. |
What is nitrification? | Conversion of NH4 into nitrite (NO2) and then nitrate (NO3) by soil bacteria. |
What is denitrification? | Conversion of soil N (NO3) into nitrous oxide (N2O) gas which return to atm. |
How does N contribute to greenhouse gases? | Prdouced by denifitirication of nitrate in agriculutral soils (especially when waterlogged/over watered) |
What is ammonia violatilization? | Excess fertilizer use can lead to NH3 gas entering atm. Caused acid rain and respiratory irritation. Less N stays in soil for crops to use for growth (losing profit) |
What is leaching and eutrophication? | Synthetic fertilizer use leads to nirates (NO3) leaching, or being carried out of soil by water. |
What does nitrate runoff cause? | Algae blooms that block sun and kill ofther aq. plants. |