apes vocabulary final review, the cycling of matter Flashcards

285314239	abiotic	nonliving, physical features of the environment, including air, water, sunlight, soil, temperature, and climate
285314240	ammonia	a small, very toxic molecule made up of three hydrogen atoms and one nitrogen atom; produced by nitrogen fixation and as a metabolic waste product of protein and nucleic acid metabolism.
285314241	ammonification	decomposers convert organic waste into ammonia
285314242	ammonium	NH4+
285314243	assimilation	changing absorbed substances into chemically different forms
285314244	carbon dioxide (CO2)	a heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances
285314245	cyanobacteria	group of prokaryotes that generate oxygen as a waste product of their photosynthesis (blue-green algae)
285314246	decomposer	organism that breaks down and obtains energy from dead organic matter
285314247	denitrification	process in which fixed nitrogen compounds are converted back into nitrogen gas and returned to the atmosphere
285314248	legumes	a group of plants part of nitrogen cycle; convert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a form that plants can use (beans)
285314249	nitrification	the oxidation of ammonium compounds in dead organic material into nitrates and nitrites by soil bacteria (making nitrogen available to plants)
285314250	sink	any part of a plant that stores sugars produced during photosynthesis