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Chapter 18 Section 4
Biology vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Biogeochemical Cycle | The circulation of substances through living organisms from or to the environment |
| Groundwater | The water that is beneath the Earth's surface |
| Water Cycle | The continuous movement of water between the atmosphere, the land, and the oceans |
| Transpiration | The process by which plants release water vapor into the air through stomata; also the release of water vapor into the air by other organisms |
| Carbon Cycle | The movement of carbon from the nonliving environment into living things and back |
| Nitrogen Cycle | The process in which nitrogen circulates among the air, soil, water, plants and animals in an ecosystem |
| Nitrogen Fixation | The process by which gaseous nitrogen is converted into ammonia, a compound that organisms can use to make amino acids and other nitrogen-containing organic molecules |
| Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria | Bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia |
| Ammonification | the formation of ammonia compounds in the soil by the action of bacteria on decaying matter |
| Nitrification | The process by which nitrites are produced by bacteria in the soil |
| Denitrification | The liberation of nitrogen from nitrogen-containing compounds by bacteria in the soil |
| Phosphorus Cycle | The cyclic movement of phosphorus in different chemical forms from the environment to organisms and then back to the environment |