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  2. Organic matter - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_matter

    A clam's shell, for example, while biotic, does not contain much organic carbon, so it may not be considered organic matter in this sense. Conversely, urea is one of many organic compounds that can be synthesized without any biological activity. Organic matter is heterogeneous and very complex. Generally, organic matter, in terms of weight, is: [6]

  3. Biotic material - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biotic_material

    Some biotic material may not be considered to be organic matter if it is low in organic compounds, such as a clam's shell, which is an essential component of the exoskeleton of bivalve mollusks made of calcium carbonate (CaCO 3), but contains little organic carbon.

  4. Soil - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil

    Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from soil by restricting the former term specifically to displaced soil. Soil measuring and surveying device

  5. Ecosystem - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecosystem

    Primary production is the production of organic matter from inorganic carbon sources. This mainly occurs through photosynthesis. The energy incorporated through this process supports life on earth, while the carbon makes up much of the organic matter in living and dead biomass, soil carbon and fossil fuels.

  6. Carbon-based life - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon-based_life

    Iron- and sulfur-based Anoxygenic photosynthesis life forms that lived from 3.80 to 3.85 billion years ago on Earth produced an abundance of black shale deposits. These shale deposits increase heat flow and crust buoyancy, especially on the sea floor, helping to increase plate tectonics. Talc is another organic mineral that helps drive plate ...

  7. Glossary of environmental science - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glossary_of_environmental...

    humus – semi-persistent organic matter in the soil that can no longer be recognised as tissue. hydrocarbons - chemicals made up of carbon and hydrogen that are found in raw materials such as petroleum, coal and natural gas, and derived products such as plastics. hydroelectric power - the electrical power generated using the power of falling ...

  8. Soil organic matter - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_organic_matter

    A portion of organic matter is not mineralized and instead decomposed into stable organic matter that is denominated "humus". [1] The decomposition of organic compounds occurs at very different rates, depending on the nature of the compound. The ranking, from fast to slow rates, is: Sugars, starches, and simple proteins; Proteins ...

  9. Organic compound - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound

    The relatively narrow definition of organic compounds as those containing C-H bonds excludes compounds that are (historically and practically) considered organic. Neither urea CO(NH 2) 2 nor oxalic acid (COOH) 2 are organic by this definition, yet they were two key