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    Nitrogen Cycle

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    Jesselle Celestial
    Organic nitrogen compounds are important components of living organisms. During decay, bacteria and fungi break down organic nitrogen into ammonia. Ammonia is converted to ammonium ions that plants can absorb from the soil. Nitrifying bacteria further oxidize ammonium ions into nitrites and nitrates. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas under low-oxygen conditions. Certain bacteria are able to "fix" nitrogen by converting nitrogen gas into ammonia through nitrogen fixation. This makes nitrogen biologically available to plants.

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    Nitrogen Cycle

    Uploaded by

    Jesselle Celestial
    140 views2 pages
    Organic nitrogen compounds are important components of living organisms. During decay, bacteria and fungi break down organic nitrogen into ammonia. Ammonia is converted to ammonium ions that plants can absorb from the soil. Nitrifying bacteria further oxidize ammonium ions into nitrites and nitrates. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas under low-oxygen conditions. Certain bacteria are able to "fix" nitrogen by converting nitrogen gas into ammonia through nitrogen fixation. This makes nitrogen biologically available to plants.

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    Nitrogen Cycle

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    Organic nitrogen compounds are important components of living organisms. During decay, bacteria and fungi break down organic nitrogen into ammonia. Ammonia is converted to ammonium ions that plants can absorb from the soil. Nitrifying bacteria further oxidize ammonium ions into nitrites and nitrates. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas under low-oxygen conditions. Certain bacteria are able to "fix" nitrogen by converting nitrogen gas into ammonia through nitrogen fixation. This makes nitrogen biologically available to plants.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    140 views2 pages

    Nitrogen Cycle

    Uploaded by

    Jesselle Celestial
    Organic nitrogen compounds are important components of living organisms. During decay, bacteria and fungi break down organic nitrogen into ammonia. Ammonia is converted to ammonium ions that plants can absorb from the soil. Nitrifying bacteria further oxidize ammonium ions into nitrites and nitrates. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas under low-oxygen conditions. Certain bacteria are able to "fix" nitrogen by converting nitrogen gas into ammonia through nitrogen fixation. This makes nitrogen biologically available to plants.

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    Nitrogen cycle

    Organic nitrogen compounds


    Nitrogen-containing compounds are important in plants. Examples are proteins (including
    enzymes), nucleotides (e.g. ATP) and nucleic acids (e.g. DNA and RNA).
    The process of decay of dead remains is also known as putrefaction. Decay, or putrefying, bacteria
    and fungi break down organic nitrogen compounds in dead remains, faeces and urine to give
    ammonia. In the soil the ammonia forms ammonium ions.

    Nitrogen compounds Nitrogen compounds


    Feeding
    in plants in consumers

    Death

    Faeces

    Nitrogen Absorption and


    fixation conversion

    Nitrogen compounds
    in detritus

    Nitrogen gas in Nitrate


    the atmosphere Lightning in soil

    Denitrification

    Nitrogenous wastes,
    Haber-Bosch
    e.g. urea, ammonia
    process Nitrification

    Decay by microorganisms

    Leaching
    Nitrite in
    soil
    Fertilisers Ammonia
    in soil
    Sinks

    Nitrification
    Ammonium
    compounds in soil

    Figure The nitrogen cycle.

    1
    Nitrification
    Plants are able to use ammonium ions or nitrate ions to form proteins from carbohydrates. If
    the soil is not too cold and oxygen is available for aerobic respiration, ammonium ions may be
    oxidised to nitrate ions by nitrifying bacteria. This two step process is called nitrification.
    Step 1 2NH4+(aq) + 3O2(g) 2NO2(aq) + 2H2O(l) + 4H+(aq)
    The reaction is catalysed by Nitrosomonas bacteria.
    Step 2 2NO2(aq) + O2(g) 2NO3(aq)
    The reaction is catalysed by Nitrobacter bacteria.
    Energy released in these oxidation reactions is used to synthesise organic compounds in the
    same way that green plants use light in photosynthesis. This is called chemosynthesis.
    90% of the fixation of nitrogen in the soil is, however, carried out by free-living species of
    bacteria and cyanobacteria, such as Azotobacter and Nostoc.

    Water-logging and denitrification


    In anaerobic conditions, for example when the soil is waterlogged excluding air, another group
    of denitrifying bacteria convert the nitrate back to gaseous nitrogen. These bacteria use nitrate
    ions as electron acceptors for respiration instead of oxygen. Denitrifying bacteria include
    Pseudomonas denitrificans.
    Waterlogged soils therefore become nitrate depleted and plant growth is significantly reduced.

    Nitrogen fixation
    Bacteria that possess the enzyme nitrogenase can convert gaseous nitrogen into ammonia.
    The bacterium Rhizobium forms a symbiotic relationship with leguminous plants. The
    bacterium stimulates the growth of root nodules. Here colonies of the bacterium obtain
    carbohydrate from the host plant. They use this in respiration to release energy and make ATP
    and reduced NAD to make ammonium ions from nitrogen gas in the soil.
    Nitrogenase activity is inhibited by high oxygen concentrations. A pigment, leghaemoglobin,
    reduces the oxygen concentration in the root nodules, but makes it readily available for
    respiration. This maintains the high rate of aerobic respiration needed to supply the ATP
    needed for nitrogen fixation.
    The ammonia is available for the plant to synthesise protein and other nitrogen containing
    organic compounds. Legumes are therefore able to grow successfully on soils deficient in
    inorganic nitrogen.
    Atmospheric nitrogen is also fixed on a large scale in chemical factories worldwide using the
    Haber Bosch process. Nitrogen and hydrogen are reacted to make ammonia.

    More information about the industrial fixation of nitrogen can be found in


    PPT Manufacturing ammonia

    Finding out
    Why is nitrogen gas so unreactive?
    How do plants fix nitrogen?

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