Biotic and Abiotic Factors
Environmental Factors
Living plants and animals decay into the soil.
Biotic Factors are important to life, because birds depend
on insects for food. Insects count on plants to provide
food and shelter.
Air, water, soil, sunlight, is Abiotic Factors. Abiotic means “not
living.” Animals need air and water to survive; plants need sunlight, soil,
and water to survive. Water is an important part of Abiotic Factors.
Abiotic Factors, water, air, soil, climate, temperature
Nitrogen Cycle
LOS terms
toxicity: The quality or condition of being toxic
demineralization: Removing minerals or mineral salts from a liquid, such as water
assimilation: The conversion of nutriments into living tissue
ammonification: Impregnation with ammonia or an ammonium compound.
nitrification: To oxidize (an ammonia compound) into nitric acid, nitrous acid, or any nitrate or nitrite,
especially by the action of nitrobacteria.
denitrification: To remove nitrogen from something that has nitrogen.
nitrogen fixation: The conversion by certain thing in soil like rhizobia, of atmospheric nitrogen into
compounds that plants and other things can assimilate.
W
hat is nitrogen?
Nitrogen is a part of many molecules. It is also part of amino acids (amino acids make up proteins) and
DNA. Every living thing needs nitrogen.
Image 1 shows the Nitrogen element
What is the nitrogen cycle?
Nitrogen is a big part of Earth's atmosphere. Nitrogen makes up a lot of the Earth's
atmosphere (almost 78%-80%). Nitrogen comes into the food chain by nitrogen-fixing
bacteria and algae in the soil. This nitrogen which has been “fixed” can now be sucked up
or absorbed by plants. These types of bacteria forma certain symbiotic relationship with
legumes, which is a pod like bean or pea that splits into two halves with the seeds
attached to one edge of the halves, these plants are useful because the nitrogen fixation
enriches the soil and helps the plant grow. The nitrogen-fixing bacteria form nitrates out
of the atmospheric nitrogen which can be taken up and dissolved in soil water by the
roots of plants. Then, the nitrates which are built in by the plants to make proteins, which
cant hen be spread throughout the
food chain. When
living things give off waste, nitrogen is released into the environment. Also, when
something dies, decomposers break down the corpse or body into nitrogen in the form of
ammonia. This nitrogen can be used again and again by helping the bacteria to fix
nitrogen for the plants. The nitrogen cycle equation is N+O2=NO2.
Image 2 shows the Nitrogen Cycle
What Effects Do Humans Have On The Nitrogen Cycle?
If we cause a nitrogen overload in an ecosystem, there are many problems that could
occur. Dumping of raw sewage contains nitrogenous wastes, along with urban runoff.
When large amounts of nitrogen collect in a water body, eutrophic
ation can result. This is an accumulation of excess nutrients which causes an algae
bloom. The algae rapidly deplete all of the oxygen in the water, which makes it so fish
and other organisims can't live there. Burning fossil fuels and wood adds the amount of
nitric oxide in the atmosphere. Nitric oxide can added with oxygen gas to form nitrogen
dioxide, which reacts with water vapor to make a strong acid (nitric acid). This can fall
like rain or precipitate out of the atmosphere in the form of acid rain. The acid can
damage trees and kill animal like fish. The use of non-organic soils/fertilizers can deplet
nitrogen resources by overharvesting legumes (which have nodules in their roots formed
by a symbiotic bacteria that fix nitrogen).
Image 3 shows a sign trying to urge people to stop acid rain
Did you know nitrogen can be used in tires?
Ima
ge 4 shows the causes of acid rain
Mixed Review:
1: Does acid rain kill fish? Y or N
2: What is acid rain made up of? ___________&___________
3: What are decomposers? _____________________________________________
____________________________________________.
4:What is the nitrogen equation? _______________________
5: What could we do to stop this? _______________________________________
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