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    Why Is Nitrogen Important?

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    Jena Tornea
    The nitrogen cycle describes the transformation of nitrogen in various forms through natural and biological processes. Nitrogen is essential for life but is often in an inert form in the atmosphere. It is converted to usable forms through nitrogen fixation by lightning, industrial processes, and symbiotic bacteria. These fixed forms are then assimilated by plants and cycled through organisms, soil, and water. As organisms die, nitrogen is released through ammonification and can re-enter the atmosphere through denitrification. Human activities like fossil fuel combustion, intensive agriculture, and pollution affect the global nitrogen cycle.

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    Why Is Nitrogen Important?

    Uploaded by

    Jena Tornea
    23 views3 pages
    The nitrogen cycle describes the transformation of nitrogen in various forms through natural and biological processes. Nitrogen is essential for life but is often in an inert form in the atmosphere. It is converted to usable forms through nitrogen fixation by lightning, industrial processes, and symbiotic bacteria. These fixed forms are then assimilated by plants and cycled through organisms, soil, and water. As organisms die, nitrogen is released through ammonification and can re-enter the atmosphere through denitrification. Human activities like fossil fuel combustion, intensive agriculture, and pollution affect the global nitrogen cycle.

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    NITROGEN-CYCLE-REVIEWER

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    The nitrogen cycle describes the transformation of nitrogen in various forms through natural and biological processes. Nitrogen is essential for life but is often in an inert form in the atmosphere. It is converted to usable forms through nitrogen fixation by lightning, industrial processes, and symbiotic bacteria. These fixed forms are then assimilated by plants and cycled through organisms, soil, and water. As organisms die, nitrogen is released through ammonification and can re-enter the atmosphere through denitrification. Human activities like fossil fuel combustion, intensive agriculture, and pollution affect the global nitrogen cycle.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    23 views3 pages

    Why Is Nitrogen Important?

    Uploaded by

    Jena Tornea
    The nitrogen cycle describes the transformation of nitrogen in various forms through natural and biological processes. Nitrogen is essential for life but is often in an inert form in the atmosphere. It is converted to usable forms through nitrogen fixation by lightning, industrial processes, and symbiotic bacteria. These fixed forms are then assimilated by plants and cycled through organisms, soil, and water. As organisms die, nitrogen is released through ammonification and can re-enter the atmosphere through denitrification. Human activities like fossil fuel combustion, intensive agriculture, and pollution affect the global nitrogen cycle.

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    of 3

    NITROGEN CYCLE has the capability to combine

    gaseous nitrogen with hydrogen


    Why is nitrogen important? to form ammonia.
    ● Essential for growth and | TYPES OF NITROGEN FIXATION
    reproduction in both plants and a. ATMOSPHERIC FIXATION
    animals - A natural phenomenon
    ● One of the building blocks of life where the energy of
    ● Comprises about 80% (*78%) of lightning breaks the
    the Earth’s atmosphere nitrogen into nitrogen
    oxides and is then used
    plants.
    b. INDUSTRIAL NITROGEN
    FIXATION
    - A man-made alternative
    that aids in nitrogen
    fixation by the use of
    ammonia.
    - Ammonia is produced by
    the direct combination of
    nitrogen and hydrogen and
    later, it is converted into
    various fertilizers such as
    | STAGES OF NITROGEN CYCLE
    urea.
    - Nitrogen undergoes various types c. BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN
    of transformation in order to FIXATION
    maintain a balance in the - Because Nitrogen is not
    ecosystem. Furthermore, this directly usable for plants
    process extends to various and animals, bacteria like
    biomes, with the marine nitrogen Rhizobium and blue-
    cycle being one of the most green algae transform the
    complicated biogeochemical unusable form of nitrogen
    cycles. into other compounds that
    are more readily usable.
    - These nitrogen
    1. NITROGEN FIXATION compounds get fixed in the
    - Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) which soil by these microbes.
    is primarily available in an inert
    form is converted into the usable | NITROGEN FIXERS / BACTERIA
    form -ammonia (NH3).
    - The entire process is completed
    by symbiotic bacteria which are ● AZOTOBACTER - bacteria
    known as Diazotrophs. associated with the rooting zone
    - Azotobacter and Rhizobium (the rhizosphere) of plants in
    also have a major role in this grasslands
    process. These bacteria consist
    of a nitrogenase enzyme which
    ● RHIZOBIUM - are mutualistic that form a symbiosis with
    with certain plant species (e.g. nitrogen-fixing bacteria
    Legumes) - Ex: Alfalfa (Medicago
    ● CYANOBACTERIA - also fix
    sativa)
    carbon (these are photosynthetic,
    or create their food through
    photosynthesis)

    2. NITRIFICATION
    - This involves two oxidation
    processes; an aerobic process
    - Ammonia is converted into nitrate
    by the presence of bacteria in the
    soil. 4. AMMONIFICATION
    - Nitrites are formed by the - When plants or animals die, the
    oxidation of Ammonia with the nitrogen present in the organic
    help of Nitrosomonas bacterium matter is released back into the
    species, an energy-rich substrate soil.
    - Later, the produced nitrites are - The decomposers, namely
    converted into nitrates by bacteria or fungi present in the
    Nitrobacter. This conversion is soil convert the organic matter
    very important as ammonia gas is back into ammonium.
    toxic for plants. - This process of decomposition
    produces ammonia which is
    further used for other biological
    processes.
    5. DENITRIFICATION
    - Denitrification is the process in
    which the nitrogen compounds
    make their way back into the
    3. ASSIMILATION atmosphere by converting nitrate
    - Primary producers – plants take (NO -) into gaseous nitrogen (N).
    3

    in the nitrogen compounds from - The final stage, it occurs in the


    the soil with the help of their absence of oxygen; anaerobic
    roots, which are available in the process
    form of ammonia, nitrite ions, - Denitrification is carried out by
    nitrate ions or ammonium ions the heterotrophic and denitrifying
    and are used in the formation of bacterial species- Clostridium
    the plant and animal proteins. and Pseudomonas, which will
    - This way, it enters the food web process nitrate to gain oxygen
    when the primary consumers eat and gives out free nitrogen gas
    the plants. as a byproduct.
    ● ROOT NODULES - found on the
    roots of plants, primarily legumes,
    How do we affect the nitrogen cycle?

    ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
    - E.g. Photochemical smogs and
    Greenhouse gases
    - They dissolve in rain to contribute
    to acid rain in the form of nitric
    acid (HNO3)
    - The rain falling on soil and
    running into rivers contribute to
    the eutrophication of water How do we make things better?
    bodies ● Adding a nitrogen fixing crop (e.g.
    black locust, italian alder, goumi,
    INDUSTRIAL N-FIXATION sea buckthorn, wisteria, broom)
    - E.g. The Haber-Bosch Process ● Aerate soil to reduce
    - High temperatures (500°C) denitrification
    - High pressures (250 ● Draining water logged soil
    atmospheres)
    - The energy required comes from
    burning fossil fuels (coal, gas, or
    oil)

    EUTROPHICATION
    - Nutrient enrichment of water
    bodies
    - Nitrates and ammonia are very
    soluble in water
    - Washed (leached) from free
    draining soils

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