acid rain

Examples of acid rain in the following topics:

• The Sulfur Cycle

  • As a part of the amino acid cysteine, it is involved in the formation of disulfide bonds within proteins, which help to determine their 3-D folding patterns and, hence, their functions.
  • As rain falls through the atmosphere, sulfur is dissolved in the form of weak sulfuric acid (H2SO4), creating acid rain.
  • The burning of large quantities of fossil fuels, especially from coal, releases large amounts of hydrogen sulfide gas into the atmosphere, creating acid rain.
  • Acid rain is corrosive rain that causes damage to aquatic ecosystems and the natural environment by lowering the pH of lakes, which kills many of the resident fauna; it also affects the human-made environment through the chemical degradation of buildings.
  • For example, many marble monuments, such as the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, have suffered significant damage from acid rain over the years.

• The Nitrogen Cycle

  • Atmospheric nitrogen is associated with several effects on earth's ecosystems, including the production of acid rain (as nitric acid, HNO3) and greenhouse gas (as nitrous oxide, N2O), potentially causing climate change.

• Plant Responses to Wind and Touch

  • Application of jasmonic acid is sufficient to trigger tendril coiling without a mechanical stimulus.
  • Researchers hypothesize that mechanical strain from wind, rain, or movement by other living things induces growth and differentiation to strengthen the tissues.

• Connecting Proteins to Glucose Metabolism

  • However, if there are excess amino acids, or if the body is in a state of starvation, some amino acids will be shunted into the pathways of glucose catabolism.
  • The remaining atoms of the amino acid result in a keto acid: a carbon chain with one ketone and one carboxylic acid group.
  • The keto acid can then enter the citric acid cycle.
  • When deaminated, amino acids can enter the pathways of glucose metabolism as pyruvate, acetyl CoA, or several components of the citric acid cycle.
  • The carbon skeletons of certain amino acids (indicated in boxes) are derived from proteins and can feed into pyruvate, acetyl CoA, and the citric acid cycle.

• Amino Acids

  • An amino acid contains an amino group, a carboxyl group, and an R group, and it combines with other amino acids to form polypeptide chains.
  • Amino acids are the monomers that make up proteins.
  • The name "amino acid" is derived from the amino group and carboxyl-acid-group in their basic structure.
  • Each amino acid is attached to another amino acid by a covalent bond, known as a peptide bond.
  • The carboxyl group of one amino acid is linked to the amino group of the incoming amino acid.

• Subtropical Deserts and Chaparral

  • There are several types of deserts including high-pressure deserts, mid-continent deserts, rain-shadow deserts, and upwelling deserts.
  • Third, rain-shadow deserts are created when moisture from the ocean condenses on one side of a mountain range.
  • Examples of rain-shadow deserts include the Mojave desert in the rain-shadow of the Sierra Nevada, the Patagonian desert in the rain-shadow of the Andes, and the Iranian desert in the rain-shadow of the Zagros mountains.
  • Seed plants in the desert produce seeds that can remain in dormancy for extended periods between rains.
  • The annual rainfall in this biome ranges from 65 cm to 75 cm (25.6–29.5 in), with the majority of rain falling in the winter.

• Levels of Organization of Living Things

  • An example of a macromolecule is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) , which contains the instructions for the structure and functioning of all living organisms.
  • An ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, non-living parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rain water.

• Nutrients from Other Sources

  • Within legume nodules, nitrogen gas from the atmosphere is converted into ammonia, which is then assimilated into amino acids (the building blocks of proteins), nucleotides (the building blocks of DNA and RNA, as well as the important energy molecule ATP), and other cellular constituents such as vitamins, flavones, and hormones.
  • The epiphyte derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, and sometimes from debris accumulating around it instead of from the structure to which it is fastened.

• Lipid Molecules

  • Stearic acid and palmitic acid, which are commonly found in meat, are examples of saturated fats.
  • Oleic acid is an example of an unsaturated fatty acid.
  • Essential fatty acids are fatty acids required for biological processes, but not synthesized by the human body.
  • Omega-3 fatty acid, or alpha-linoleic acid (ALA) , falls into this category and is one of only two fatty acids known to be essential for humans (the other being omega-6 fatty acid, or linoleic acid).
  • Alpha-linolenic acid is an example of an omega-3 fatty acid.

• Acetyl CoA to CO2

  • The acetyl carbons of acetyl CoA are released as carbon dioxide in the citric acid cycle.
  • Acetyl CoA links glycolysis and pyruvate oxidation with the citric acid cycle.
  • In addition to the citric acid cycle, named for the first intermediate formed, citric acid, or citrate, when acetate joins to the oxaloacetate, the cycle is also known by two other names.
  • The TCA cycle is named for tricarboxylic acids (TCA) because citric acid (or citrate) and isocitrate, the first two intermediates that are formed, are tricarboxylic acids.
  • Describe the fate of the acetyl CoA carbons in the citric acid cycle