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Biogeochemical cycles
Nitrogen
All organisms require nitrogen to live and grow.
Most of the nitrogen present in the atmosphere is
unavailable to organisms due to it's inert (stable) nature.
t is a component in all amino acids (building blocks of the
body)
present in DNA (deoxyribonucleic acids) and RNA
(ribonucleic acids).
n plants, nitrogen is used in chlorophyll molecules, which
are essential for photosynthesis and further growth.
Utilization
For organisms to utilize nitrogen it needs to
be converted to different forms.
Ammonium:(NH
4
+)
Nitrate:(NO
3
-)
Nitrite:(NO
2
-)
t is present in the atmosphere as nitrogen
gas (N
2
)
The 5 Main Processes
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen uptake (organismal growth),
Nitrogen Mineralization (decay),
Nitrification
Dentrification
Nitrogen Cycle
Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen is abundant in the
atmosphere but relatively
unusable by plants.(N
2
)
Chemical processing, or natural
fixation through processes such
as bacterial conversion is required
for plants to utilize nitrogen.
Certain types of nitrogen fixing
bacteria have symbiotic
relationships with plants called
legumes (peas & beans).
Nitrogen Fixation
nitrogenase enzymes combine nitrogen gas
with hydrogen to form ammonium.
N
2
+ H
4
NH
4
+
n return the bacteria get carbohydrates
from the plant Symbiotic
Symbiotic : When both host and organism
benefit from the relationship
Ammonification
When a plant or animal
dies,or gets rid of waste =
organic nitrogen
Bacteria, or fungi in some
cases, convert the organic
nitrogen within the remains
back into ammonium in a
process called
ammonification or
mineralization
Nitrification
The conversion of ammonium to
nitrate(NO3-) is performed
primarily by soil-living bacteria.
NH
4
NO
2
NO
3
t is important for the nitrites to be
converted to nitrates because
accumulated nitrites are toxic to
plant life.
.
Assimilation
Nitrogen Uptake
Plants get nitrogen from the soil,
by absorption of their roots in the
form of either nitrate ions (NO
3
-
)
or ammonium ions(NH
4
+
).
The animals then get their
nitrogen by eating the plants.
Plants can absorb nitrate or
ammonium ions from the soil via
their root hairs.
The plants then incorporate
nitrogen into amino acids, nucleic
acids, and chlorophyll.
Dentrification
Denitrification is the conversion of nitrates
back into the largely inert nitrogen gas (N
2
),
completing the nitrogen cycle.
This process is performed by bacterial
species in anaerobic conditions.
Anerobic: no oxygen present
Aerobic: oxygen present