vocab ch.7

• Aerobic process

  A process that takes place in the presence of oxygen
• Anaerobic process

  A process that takes place in the absence of oxygen
• Biomass

  The total mass of a living, or recently living material in an area
• Degradation

  A measure of the ease with which a material breaks down
• Homeostasis

  The maintenance of a state of equilibrium
• Haemoglobin

  The protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen
• Haber process

  The industrial process that combines nitrogen from air with hydrogen from natural gas to produce ammonia
• Detritivores

  These are heterotrophic animals that ingest and digest dead organic matter e.g earthworms and woodlice
• Carbon sequestration

  Any process which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, such as afforestation or carbon capture (underground storage)
• Biogeochemical cycle

  A series of linked processes which use and re-use elements such as carbon, nitrogen phosphorus, iron and sulfur as they move between biotic and abiotic reservoirs.
• Peat bog

  A wetland area with an accumulation of dead plant material, especially moss
• Systemic

  A substance that is absorbed and transported throughout an organism e.g. by sap in plants