BioGeoChemical Cycles

2. Plants absorb nitrates from the soil to build proteins.
4. Water seeps down through soil into groundwater.
5. Decomposers break down organic nitrogen into ammonia.
8. Organisms release carbon dioxide by breaking down glucose for energy.
9. Process where phosphorus settles and accumulates in bodies of water.
10. Waste products from animals return phosphorus to the soil and water.
13. Process where liquid water changes into water vapor.
17. Breakdown of rocks that releases phosphorus into soil and water.
18. Geological process that brings phosphorus-rich rocks to Earth’s surface.
19. Dead organisms release phosphorus back into the environment.
20. Water flowing over land into rivers, lakes, or oceans.
21. Release of water vapor from plant leaves into the atmosphere.
22. Plants take up phosphate ions from the soil.

1. Bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas, returning it to the atmosphere.
3. Water vapor cools and changes back into liquid droplets.
6. Water falls to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, or hail.
7. Burning of fuels that releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
11. Plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to produce glucose and oxygen.
12. Fuels Carbon-rich energy sources like coal, oil, and natural gas formed from ancient organisms.
14. Fixation Conversion of nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia by bacteria or lightning.
15. Soil bacteria convert ammonia into nitrites and then nitrates.
16. Breakdown of dead organisms that releases carbon back into the soil and air.