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26 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What is the chemical reaction for photosynthesis?
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6*CO2 + 6*H2O -sunlight-> C6H12O6 + 6O2
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What are the four principal components of the Earth system?
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lithosphere (rocks), atmosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere
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Define "macronutrients"
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Elements required in large amounts by living things; includes the "big six".
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Define "micronutrients"
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Elements required either in small amounts by all life or in moderate amounts by some forms of life and not at all by others.
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List each of the "big six" elements.
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Carbon
Hydrogen Nitrogen Oxygen Phosphorus Sulfur |
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What role does Carbon play in organisms?
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It is the basic building block of organic compounds and forms carbohydrates with oxygen and hydrogen.
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What role does Nitrogen play in organisms?
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It makes proteins with carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen.
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What role does Phosphorus play in organisms?
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It occurs in the compounds called ATP and ADP which are important in the transfer and use of energy within cells.
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What role does Calcium play in organisms?
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It is the structure element. It occurs in the bones of vertebrates, shells of shellfish, and wood-forming cell walls of vegetation.
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What role do Sodium and Potassium play in organisms?
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They are important to nerve signal transmission.
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Define "limiting factor"
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A chemical is a limiting factor if it is not available at the right time, in the right amount, in the right concentration.
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What types of elements typically cycle quickly?
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Elements that have a gas phase and are present in the atmosphere
and/or they are easily dissolved in water and are carried by the hydrologic cycle. |
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What is likely to happen to chemicals whose biogeochemical cycles do not include a gas phase?
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They are likely to end up as deep-ocean sediment and recycle slowly.
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Define "geologic cycle"
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Collectively refers to the processes responsible for formation and change of Earth materials. Includes:
tectonic hydrologic rock biogeochemical |
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Define "tectonic cycle"
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The processes that change the Earth's crust, producing external forms such as ocean basins, continents, and mountains.
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Define "plate tectonics"
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A model of global tectonics that suggests that the outer layer of Earth (the lithosphere) is composed of several large plates that move relative to one another.
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What is a "divergent plate boundary"?
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A plate boundary that occurs at a spreading ocean ridge, where plates are moving away from one another and a new lithosphere is produced. This process, known as seafloor spreading, produces ocean basins.
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What is a "convergent plate boundary"?
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A plate boundary that occurs when plates collide.
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What is a "transform fault boundary"?
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A plate boundary that occurs where one plate slides past another.
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Define "hydrologic cycle"
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Circulation of water from the oceans to the atmosphere and back to the oceans by way of evaporation, runoff from steams and rivers, and groundwater flow.
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Where does most rainwater on land come from?
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Evaporation of water from land.
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How do humans affect the hydrologic cycle? (3)
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Changing bodies of water (dams, reservoirs) affects the location and amount of precipitation on land.
Paving ground causes storm water to run off more quickly and in greater volume which increases flood hazards. Brining water into semiarid cities may increase evaporation which increases humidity and precipitation in a region. |
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Define "drainage basin"
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The area that contributes surface runoff to a particular stream or river.
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What role does life play in the rock cycle?
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They add organic carbon to rocks.
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How does chemical cycling in an ecosystem begin?
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With inputs from outside.
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How do cycles of metallic elements often differ from those of nonmetallic elements?
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Metals often do not form gases so they cycle more slowly and are more likely to become limiting factors than nonmetallic elements.
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