Ecosystems and Biology - AP Environmental Science

Transpiration concerns the process through which water is carried through plants from roots to small pores in leaves, where it evaporates into the atmosphere. Thus transpiration is not a part of the carbon cycle, which concerns the biochemical exchange of carbon.

All of these are biogeochemical cycles:

Carbon cycle - plants and animals consume carbon dioxide and release carbon dioxide during decomposition or respiration, then the carbon dioxide returns to the atmosphere.

Phosphorus cycle - similar to the carbon cycle, plants and animals consume phosphorous and release it during decomposition. Then the phosphorous returns to the ground and waterways by way of bacteria and processes such as mineralization.

Nitrogen cycle - this is the most complicated biogeochemical cycles. This is because it takes place in multiple situations, including: nitrogen fixation, nitrification, denitrification, and ammonification.

Hydraulic cycle - the water cycle. Water evaporates, wind moves air (and water), precipitation occurs.

The Atmosphere is largely the source of Carbon in the Carbon cycle. Plants utilize photosynthesis to convert atmospheric Carbon Dioxide into Glucose. Animals consume this Glucose and store it in their bodies until they die. the Ocean hosts a large amount of dissolved Carbon Dioxide gas and has Calcium Carbonate as a storage place in oceanic organisms like coral.

Although all of the above are part of the nitrogen cycle, the major reservoir for nitrogen is the atmosphere. The atmosphere contains nitrogen gas which cannot be extracted by plants or animals from the atmosphere. From its reservoir in the atmosphere, nitrogen gas is combined with oxygen to form nitrate and carried to Earth dissolved in rain. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria produce ammonia. This is absorbed by plants and other producers and incorporated into biological molecules that are passed through the trophic levels. Nitrate and ammonia are released by excretion or by decomposer bacteria. Other bacteria convert these molecules back to atmoshperic nitrogen, completing the cycle.

A source is an organism or physical body that releases a certain compound or element. Through energy dynamics or physical manipulations of the environment, it reaches the sink. The sink is the receiver of the element and can act as another source for a different organisms or physical body. This is how matter travels in the environment, from pairs of source to sink dynamics.

According to the principles of the Nitrogen cycle, plants can only absorb nitrogen in the form of ammonia. This is achieved by nitrogen-fixing bacteria that convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants. Plants excrete nitrogen in the form of waste as nitrates which are absorbed by animals.

Much of the solar energy that enters earth is absorbed by atmospheric molecules or reflected off of surfaces, and a large portion of the energy is unsuitable for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is powered by light energy that has wavelengths ranging from 400 to 700 nanometers (nm), while sunlight has a wavelength range from 250 to 2500 nm. As a result, only about 1% of available solar energy is used for photosynthetic activity.

Chlorophyll a and b absorb visible light wavelengths in the purple, blue, and red ranges of the visible spectrum of light and reflect visible light in the green range. The green color of leaves is a result of the green visible light being reflected back and isolated from the other visible colors in the spectrum that were absorbed.

During photosynthesis, plants and algae use solar energy to convert carbon dioxide and water to glucose and oxygen. Phosphorus is not involved in the photosynthesis chemical reaction as a reactant or product.

Cellular respiration is the opposite reaction of photosynthesis:

Photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide, water, and solar energy to sugar and oxygen. Respiration uses oxygen and sugars to provide a cell with energy. Water and carbon dioxide are produced as byproducts. Note that the form of energy used in photosynthesis is sunlight, while the form of energy produced during respiration is chemical energy.

Using energy from the bonds in, for example, hydrogen sulfide or methane, and carbon dioxide, deep sea bacteria can produce sugars identical to those produced in plants via photosynthesis. This is incredibly important for life in deep water where there is no light.

The correct response is producer. A producer converts sunlight into food using photosynthesis. This includes plants, algae, and some fungi. They are sometimes refereed to as primary producers or autotrophs. The big take-home point: producers make their own food.

The water cycle remains in the form of water throughout the cycle. The major reservoir of water is the ocean. The water cycle is driven by solar energy which evaporates water, and by gravity, which draws water back to Earth in the form of precipitation from water vapor in the atmosphere.

Transpiration is the evaporation of water from plants. Both terms can be defined as the conversion of liquid water on Earth into atmospheric water vapor. Condensation is the formation of clouds from water vapor. Precipitation is the release of water from clouds down towards the earth in the form of rain, hail, sleet or snow. Percolation is the seeping of water through the ground into groundwater sources like aquifers. Runoff is excess water on the superficial soil layers that cannot percolate into the ground.

Market-based, hierarchical, sectarian, and rational methods are all risk management strategies. Conservative method is not a risk management strategy.

Many Rocky Mountain and Western conifer species are adapted to germinate only after being exposed to temperatures typical of a wildfire. Pioneer species and shrubs typically have no problem generating after a clear-cut, but often foresters have to plant pine saplings in a clear-cut area, because remaining seeds will not germinate.

Although human activites are reducing the extent of many biomes, they are causing the spread of deserts, a process called desertification. Rain forests are being felled for lumber or burned down for ranching or agriculture. Africa's rapidly expanding human population threatens the wildlife of the savanna. The tallgrass prairie has been converted to agricutural land. Clearing for lumber, agriculture, and housing has dramatically reduced America's deciduous forests.

Composting is a process in which purely organic waste is converted into a rich soil conditioner commonly known as 'compost'. The process usually begins with household food and plant scraps, which are broken down over time and added to soil to fertilize the soil and help it retain moisture.

"Habitat connectivity" is the only term that describes something positive that increases the quality of biodiversity. It is defined as the degree to which landscape facilitates movement and ecological flows important for the survival of other species. Every other term describes things that decrease habitat and negatively impact biodiversity.

The correct response is "eutrophication." It is the only term that is specific to aquatic systems and the input of excess nutrients by way of pollution. The terms "bioaccumulation" and "biomagnification" describe how substances such as toxins accumulate within organisms and trophic levels—not an aquatic ecosystem. Last, "fragmentation" has nothing to do with the question because it refers to when habitats are parceled apart due to human activities.