Exploring Biogeochemical Cycles: A Webquest

Cycles Name: _____________________________ Period: _________ Water Cycle Fill in the correct labels on the Water Cycle below. 1. Using the terms "evaporation", "condensation", and "precipitation", explain the water cycle in your own words. 2. Is the amount of water on Earth always changing or is it a constant amount? Explain. 3. Explain surface runoff. Carbon Cycle 1. The model is missing two labels. Locate where each of the following processes are being illustrated and label them on the diagram. Write a short description of the processes. Cellular Respiration: Photosynthesis: 2. Fossil fuels are formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms. Petroleum products, such as coal and natural gas are considered fossil fuels. Why are these types of fuels considered NONrenewable? 3. When animal and plants die, microorganisms, fungi and insects are responsible for decomposition. These organisms also respire. Draw and label an arrow on the diagram to indicate cellular respiration by decomposers. 4. Looking at the cycle what activities can increase the amount of atmospheric CO2? 5. Looking at the cycle what activities decrease the amount of atmospheric CO2? 6. How does the diagram illustrate the relationship between cellular respiration and photosynthesis? Explain this relationship. 7. Large areas of land are being developed. In the process thousands of trees are being removed and burned. How would this affect the cycle? 8. What are 3 ways that we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Nitrogen Cycle 1. How is nitrogen important in our lives? 2. Why are nitrogen-fixing bacteria contributions to the nitrogen cycle so important? 3. Nitrogen gas makes up ____________________________ of the air we breathe. 4. Nitrogen __________________________ converts ____________________________ to _____________________________ for organisms to use. 5. Another useable form of nitrogen, NH4 + can be converted to _________________________ by ___________________________ for organisms to use. 6. Plants use both __________________________ and ________________________ to incorporate nitrogen into DNA, protein, and other molecules. 7. Explain how animals get their needed amounts of nitrogen. 8. Explain how nitrogen cycles through the land and ocean ecosystems. 9. How does the human impact of fertilizers impact the nitrogen cycle? 10. Once in plants and animals, explain how does nitrogen return to the atmosphere? Phosphorus Cycle 1. Explain why phosphates are a critical part of life. 2. How is the phosphorus cycle different from other biogeochemical cycles? Explain. 3. The largest reservoir of phosphorus is in _____________________________ rock. 4. Explain how phosphorus travels through the cycle from rock to omnivores. 5. Why are excessive concentrations of phosphorus sometimes considered a pollutant? 6. How do humans contribute to these excessive levels of phosphorus?