Cycles In Nature

Question 1

reservoir

Answer 1

a place where a large quantity of a resource sits for a long period of time

Question 2

biogeochemical cycles

Answer 2

the complex cycles through which nutrients such as carbon,oxygen,nitrogen, phosphorus,sulfur,and water move through the environment

Question 3

exchange pool

Answer 3

a site where a nutrient sits for only a short period of time

Question 4

residency time

Answer 4

the amount of time a resource spends in a reservoir or an exchange pool

Question 5

Law of Conservation Matter

Answer 5

States that matter can neither be created nor destroyed

Question 6

precipitation

Answer 6

water that condenses in the atmosphere and and falls to the Earth’s surface in liquid or solid form

Question 7

groundwater

Answer 7

any water that comes from below the ground (from wells or aquifers)

Question 8

runoff

Answer 8

that portion of rainfall that runs into streams as surface water rather than being absorbed into groundwater or evaporating

Question 9

evaporation

Answer 9

conversion of liquid into gas (vapor)

Question 10

transpiation

Answer 10

the act or process of transpiring, or releasing water vapor, especially through the stomata of plant tissue or pores of the skin

Question 11

respiration

Answer 11

the process by which animals (and plants!) breathe and give off carbon dioxide from cellular metabolism

Question 12

photosynthesis

Answer 12

the process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from carbon dioxide and water using light as an energy source: most forms of photosynthesis release energy as a byproduct

Question 13

combusted

Answer 13

burned

Question 14

nitrogen fixation

Answer 14

the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into compounds, such as ammonia, by natural agencies or various industrial processes

Question 15

nitrification

Answer 15

the process in which soil bacteria convert ammonium (NH4+) to a form that can be used by plants: nitrate or NO-
3

Question 16

assimilation 3

Answer 16

the process in which plants absorb ammonium (NH3), ammonia ions (NH4+) , and nitrate ions (NO3) through their roots

Question 17

ammonification 4

Answer 17

the production of ammonia or ammonium compounds in the decomposition of organic matter, especially through the action of bacteria

Question 18

Dentrification

Answer 18

the process by which specialized bacteria (mostly anaerobic bacteria) convert ammonia to NO3, NO2, and N2 which are released back into the atmosphere

Question 19

phosphorus cycle

Answer 19

the cycle through which phosphorus moves through the environment in different forms

Question 20

limiting factor

Answer 20

any factor that controls a populations growth

Question 21

terrestrial cycle

Answer 21

the portion of a biogeochemical cycle that takes place on land

Question 22

eutrophication

Answer 22

warm water becoming overly enriched with minerals and nutrients to the point that excessive growth of algae and other phytoplankton occurs (an algea bloom)

Question 23

sulfur cycle

Answer 23

the cycle through which sulfur moves through the environment in different forms