Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 5 views

    Nitrogen Cycle

    Uploaded by

    gershom03

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Nitrogen Cycle

    Uploaded by

    gershom03
    5 views6 pages

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    5 views6 pages

    Nitrogen Cycle

    Uploaded by

    gershom03

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 6

    Nitrogen Cycle

    We are generally under the impression that we only need oxygen to


    live. Well, you couldn’t be more wrong! There is a laundry list of
    elements that animals need for survival. One such element is Nitrogen.
    But we can’t just get nitrogen from the air. It needs to be converted to
    nitrates, via a process called nitrogen cycle. So let us learn more about
    this fascinating concept.

    The air we breathe contains 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and remaining
    are other trace gases. The nitrogen component of air is inert. So this
    means plants and animals cannot use it directly. To be able to use
    nitrogen, plants convert atmospheric nitrogen to nitrates, nitrites
    and ammonia compounds by a process called the nitrogen cycle.
    Animals derive their nitrogen requirements from plants.
    What are the steps involved in the nitrogen cycle?

    Nitrogen cycle consists of four main steps namely:

    1. Nitrogen Fixation
    2. Ammonification/ Decay
    3. Nitrification
    4. De-nitrification
    It is important to note that microorganisms play an important role in
    each of these steps.
    What is the mechanism of each of these steps?

    Nitrogen Fixation

    This is the first step of the nitrogen cycle. This step is characterized by
    the conversion of atmospheric N2 into ammonia (NH3). Bacteria like
    Azotobacter and Rhizobium have a major role in this process. They are
    harbored in the roots of the leguminous plants and help convert inert
    nitrogen to ammonia. Nitrogen fixation can occur in any of the
    following ways: atmospheric fixation (involves lightening), industrial
    fixation(manufacturing ammonia under high temperature and pressure
    condition)

    Assimilation

    Once the nitrogen has been fixed in the soil, plants can absorb nitrogen
    through their roots. This process of absorption is known as assimilation.
    Ammonification

    This is another process by which ammonia can be generated. Organic


    remains of plants and animals are broken down in the soil by some
    bacteria to release ammonia into the soil. These dead and waste matter
    is used by these microorganisms as food and they release ammonia into
    the soil.

    Nitrification

    This occurs in two-steps. The first step is in which NH3/NH$+ is


    converted to NO3- (nitrates). The bacteria Nitrosomonas and
    Nitrococcus present in the soil convert NH3 to NO2-, and another
    bacterium, Nitrobacter converts NO2- to NO3-. These bacteria gain
    energy through these conversions.

    Denitrification

    Is the reverse of nitrification that occurs in the deep layers of soil where
    the bacteria convert NO3- is converted into N2 and other
    gaseous compounds like NO2. This occurs because in deep layers of
    soil, oxygen is not available and the soil bacteria use these nitrogen
    compounds instead of oxygen.
    What is the importance of the nitrogen cycle?

     As we all know by now, the nitrogen cycle helps bring in the


    inert nitrogen from the air into the biochemical process in plants
    and then to animals.
     Plants need nitrogen to synthesize chlorophyll and so the
    nitrogen cycle is absolutely essential for them.
     During the process of ammonification, the bacteria help
    degrade decomposing animal and plant matter. This helps in
    naturally cleaning up the environment.
     Due to the nitrogen cycle, nitrates and nitrites are released into
    the soil which helps in enriching the soil with nutrients needed
    for cultivation.
     As plants use nitrogen for their biochemical processes, animals
    obtain the nitrogen and nitrogen compounds from plants.
    Nitrogen is needed as is an integral part of the cell composition.
    It is due to the nitrogen cycle that animals are also able to utilize
    the nitrogen present in the air.

    You might also like