| Term | Definition |
|---|
| acid rain | contaminated rainfall |
| atmosphere | layers of gases that surround the earth; the air. |
| protoplasm | a colorless, jellylike substance which makes up every living cell and is composed of four elements carbon, oxyben, nitrogen, and hydrogen. |
| nitrogen cycle | the circulation of nitrogen and its compounds by living organisms in nature; nitrogen in the air passes into the soil where it is changed to nitrates bhy bacteria and used by green plants and then in turn by animals. Decaying plants and animals and animal waste products are in turn acted on by bacteria and the nitrogen in them is again made available for circulation. |
| amino acids | any of a number of complex organic compounds combined to form proteins that make up living matter. |
| bacteria | a large group of one-celled microscopic plants concerned in the process of fermentation, nitrogen fixation, etc. |
| compound | any substance consisting of two or more atoms (elements) chemically combined. |
| nitrogen | a gaseous element that forms about 3/4 of the atmosphere and is in animal and plant matter. |
| fossil fuel | fuel, such as wood, coal, oil, burned to produce useful heat or power; fuesl that are made of hardened remains or traces of animals or plants of a former geological age. |
| protoplasm | a colorless, jellylike substance which makes up every living cell and is composed of four elements - carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen. |
| denitrifying | the process by which bacteria changes fixed nitrogen back to gaseous nitrogen, which is then released back into the environment. |
| nodules | small swellings on the roots of plants that contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. |
| legumes | any plant of the pea family which bears pods containing a number of seads; can absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it into nitrates by means of bacteria present in nodules on the roots of the plants. (examples - clover, soybeans) |
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