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| the pattern that materials follow when they are being used and reused in the environment. |
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| a cycle in which earth materials are used over and over again |
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| the sequence of conditions through which water passes from vapor in the atmosphere |
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| the phase change from a gas to a liquid |
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| the phase change from a liquid to a gas |
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| water within the earth that supplies wells and springs |
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| the portion of precipitation on land that ultimately reaches streams often with dissolved or suspended material |
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| any form of water that falls from the sky. Examples: Rain, sleet, hail snow |
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| the process where plants release excess water through their leaves |
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| process by which soil is carried off by water or wind |
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| oxygen/carbon dioxide cycle* |
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| the passage of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the air back and forth between organisms that carry out respiration and organisms that carry out photosynthesis |
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| energy-releasing process in organisms where oxygen is taken in and combined with food; water and carbon dioxide are waste products |
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| respiration like process where fuel is ignited in the presence of oxygen and energy is released |
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| sugar making process in plants/plantlike organisms where carbon dioxide is taken in and oxygen is released as a waste product |
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| element that makes up 78% of earth's air, also found in nutrient compounds vital to all living things |
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| the passage of nitrogen from a gas in the air and nitrates in the soil to the bodies of plants and animals and back to nitrates or ammonia |
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| a chemical made up of nitrogen and hydrogen that is found in metabolic waste products. It is highly poisonous to the environment |
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| unicellular microorganisms that do not have a nuclei; most important decomposer |
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| to decompose, rot, or otherwise break down chemically into simpler substances |
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| the breaking down of nitrates so that nitrogen gas goes back into the air |
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| bacteria commonly found in the soil that break down nitrates and release free nitrogen |
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| nitrogen in a form that plants can use as a nutrient |
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| a compound formed by bacteria that contains nitrogen and oxygen and can be used by plants as fixed nitrogen |
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| bacteria commonly found in the soil that obtains energy through the process of nitrification |
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| process by which some kinds of bacteria take nitrogen directly from the air and form nitrogen compounds |
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| bacteria that can take nitrogen directly from the air and form nitrogen compounds |
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| nutrient used by all organisms as a building material for growth and repair |
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| Some carbohydrates in organisms are converted into fats and oils. When released into the soil, they form deposits underground know as |
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