| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Macronutrient | needed in large amounts, the big six: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, phospherous, & sulfur. |
| Micronutrient | needed in small amounts, but still required for life. This includes: calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, etc. |
| Residence Times | Average length of time that an element remains in a certain reservoir before being transfered to a different one |
| Flux/Rate of Transfer | How much of an elment is leaving or entering a reservoir, per unit of time. |
| Limiting Factor | The amount of an elemnt that restricts growth |
| Evaporation | The transfer of water from the ground into water in the atmosphere |
| Condensation | The collection of water in clouds, occuring when water moves from a gaseous to liquid state due to temperature changes. |
| Precipitation | The movement of water from the clouds to the earth in the form of rain. |
| Respiration | The air you breathe out as water |
| Run-Off | The continuous movement of water from small bodies to larger bodies of water. Occurs through groundwater, etc. |
| Percolation | Filtering water as it moves downward through the soil (filtered by the soil) |
| Consumption | absorbed by plants/animals |
| Transpiration | Water is given off by plants |
| CO2 | Carbon Dioxide |
| C6H12O6 | Glucose or Sugar |
| CH4 | Methane or Natural Gas |
| CO3 (-2), and HCO3 (-1) | Carbon Ion, and Bicarbonate Ion |
| Photosynthesis | eating plant = eating glucose. A process only performed by plants. Takes in Carbon and Water to make Glucose and Oxygen. |
| Cellular Respiration | The exact opposite of Photosynthesis. Glucose and Oxygen and used to make Water and Carbon |
| Assimilation/Biosynthesis | Injesting carbon and biosynthesizing it into carbs |
| Lithification | Fine minerals that are compacted under heat and pressure (limestone, for example) |
| Decomposition | Bacteria decomposing something, which then releases CO2 or CH4 into the atmosphere |
| Coalification | When dead/not living material is put under heat and pressure and forms fossil fuels |
| Combustion | Burning fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide |
| Uplifting/Weathering/Erosion | As this happens to limestone, water carries off CO2(-2) |
| PO4 (-3) | Phosphate |
| Eutrophication | Causes dead zones due to the loss of oxygen in water. This is caused by over excessive use of fertilizers and too much minerals. |
| N2 | Nitrogen Gas |
| NO3 (-1) | Nitrate Ion |
| NO2 (-1) | Nitrite Ion |
| NH3 | Ammonia |
| NH4 (+1) | Ammonia Ion |
| N2O | Nitrous Oxide (aka Laughing Gas) |
| Nitrogen Fixation | When atmospheric Nitrogen is converted to Nitrate or Ammonia. This occurs through: lightning strikes, bacteria/algae in water, symbiotic relationships between plants/animals |
| De-nitrification | When bateria in soil/water strip oxygen off NO3(-1), thus converting it back to atmospheric nitrogen. |
| Leaching | As water moves downwards, dissolved minerals are removed from soil |
| Ammonifaction | Releases NO3(-1) to the soil |
| Nitrification | Because NH3 is toxic to life, bacteria convert it to non toxic NO2(-1)/NO3(-1) |
| Igneous Rock | Formed by volcanic, lava/magma flows. Ex: quartz, granite. |
| Sedimentary Rock | Produced through lithification and/or weathering/erosion, and have a layered appearance that sometimes contains fossils. Ex: Chalk, Limestone, Shate, Clay, Sandstone. |
| Metamorphic Rock | Formed under extreme heat and pressure in the earths crust. Ex: Marble, Slate, Quartzite. |
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