Summative unit 5 rubric "Biogeochemical cycles "

1. Carbon cycle: The carbon cycle is the process in which carbon travels from the atmosphere into organisms and the Earth and then back into the atmosphere.

2. Carbon cycle: Plants take carbon dioxide from the air and use it to make food. Animals then eat the food and carbon is stored in their bodies or released as CO2 through respiration.

3. Phosphorus cycle: Low concentration of phosphorus in soils reduces plant growth and slows soil microbial growth, as shown in studies of soil microbial biomass.

4. Phosphorus cycle: The phosphorus cycle is the biogeochemical cycle that describes the movement of phosphorus through the lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.

5. Nitrogen cycle: The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems.

6. Nitrogen cycle: The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes.

7. How are humans affecting the natural course of the biogeochemical cycles? Why?____________________________ Human activities have greatly increased carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and nitrogen levels in the biosphere. Altered biogeochemical cycles combined with climate change increase the vulnerability of biodiversity, food security, human health, and water quality to a changing climate.