Vocab Chapter 4

Question 1

Organic

Answer 1

Describes matter that consists of compounds that always contain the elements carbon and hydrogen, although other elements may also be present; found in living organisms or the fossils of once living things

Question 2

Inorganic

Answer 2

Matter that is not of biological origin; or may or may not contain carbon and is often of mineral origin

Question 3

Photosynthesis

Answer 3

The process whereby plants use the Sun’s energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates and oxygen

Question 4

Cellular Respiration

Answer 4

The reaction from between carbohydrates and oxygen that produces energy, carbon dioxide, and water

Question 5

Carbon Reservoir

Answer 5

Refers to locations on Earth that store and release organic carbon slowly

Question 6

Carbon Sink

Answer 6

A carbon reservoir that stores carbon for long periods or absorbs more carbon that it releases

Question 7

Fossil Fuel

Answer 7

Hydrocarbons found within the top layer of Earth’s crust; include coal, oil, and gas

Question 8

Carbon Source

Answer 8

A carbon reservoir that releases more carbon than it stores

Question 9

Carbon Cycle

Answer 9

The cycling of carbon through ecosystems

Question 10

Greenhouse Gases

Answer 10

Gases in the atmosphere that allow solar radiation to pass through the atmosphere and be absorbed by Earth’s surface, and then absorb and trap any thermal energy radiation from Earth; include carbon dioxide and methane

Question 11

Greenhouse Effect

Answer 11

The warming effect created by the ability of Earth’s atmosphere to trap thermal energy

Question 12

Oxygen Cycle

Answer 12

Describes the path of oxygen through ecosystems

Question 13

Aerobic Respiration

Answer 13

Respiration that uses oxygen to release the energy in carbohydrates

Question 14

Anaerobic Respiration

Answer 14

Respiration that does not require oxygen to release the energy in carbohydrates; respiration that occurs in the absence of oxygen; a process used by certain bacteria; also called fermentation

Question 15

Fermentation

Answer 15

Anaerobic respiration

Question 16

Nirtogen Cycle

Answer 16

The movement of nitrogen between the abiotic and biotic components of the biosphere

Question 17

Nitrogen Fixation

Answer 17

The first step in the nitrogen cycle, which occurs when nitrogen from nitrogen gas is “fixed” or combined with hydrogen to produce ammonia (NH3)

Question 18

Legume

Answer 18

A plant whose root nodules host nitrogen fixing bacteria; includes crops such as peas, peanuts, soybeans, clover, and alfalfa, and wild plants such as alders and lupins

Question 19

Nitrate

Answer 19

A highly soluble nitrogen compound containing both nitrogen and oxygen; produced from ammonium by bacteria in the soil

Question 20

Nitrification

Answer 20

The process that produces nitrate from ammonium

Question 21

Denitrification

Answer 21

The process that converts ammonia and nitrate back to nitrogen gas

Question 22

Phosphorus Cycle

Answer 22

The path of phosphorus through ecosystems

Question 23

Phosphate Ion

Answer 23

Play an important role in the phosphate cycle due to their solubility in water; they can be dissolved out of rock into soil or water through the process of weathering, becoming available to producers and other organisms in the food chain

Question 24

Mycorrhizae

Answer 24

Microscopic fungi that increases the solubility of phosphate in the soil, making them more readily available for plants