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What is a nitrogen cycle?
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Process of the Nitrogen Cycle consists of the following steps – Nitrogen fixation, Nitrification, Assimilation, Ammonification and Denitrification. These processes take place in several stages and are explained below: Nitrogen Fixation Process. It is the initial step of the nitrogen cycle.
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Jan 15, 2021 · The nitrogen cycle refers to the cycle of nitrogen atoms through the living and non-living systems of Earth. The nitrogen cycle is vital for life on Earth. Through the cycle, atmospheric nitrogen is converted to a form which plants can incorporate into new proteins.
- Gabe Buckley
The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes.
- Fixation. Nitrogen in its gaseous form (N2) can’t be used by most living things. (Plants for example, do not have the required enzymes to make use of atmospheric nitrogen.)
- Decomposition. Plants take up nitrogen compounds through their roots. Animals obtain these compounds when they eat the plants. When plants and animals die or when animals excrete wastes, the nitrogen compounds in the organic matter re-enter the soil where they are broken down by microorganisms, known as decomposers.
- Nitrification. Nitrifying bacteria in the soil convert ammonia into nitrite (NO2) and then into nitrate (NO3). This process is called nitrification. Compounds such as nitrate, nitrite, ammonia and ammonium can be taken up from soils by plants and then used in the formation of plant and animal proteins.
- Denitrification. Denitrification completes the nitrogen cycle by converting nitrate (NO3) back to gaseous nitrogen (N2). Denitrifying bacteria are the agents of this process.
This article explores how nitrogen becomes available to organisms and what changes in nitrogen levels as a result of human activity means to local and global ecosystems.
Mar 21, 2024 · Human activity can release nitrogen into the environment by two primary means: the combustion of fossil fuels, which releases different nitrogen oxides, and by the use of artificial fertilizers (which contain nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) in agriculture, which are then washed into lakes, streams, and rivers by surface runoff.
Aug 5, 2023 · The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical cycle that converts nitrogen into various forms throughout the ecosystem. Nitrogen is an essential element for life that organisms use in the synthesis of amino acids , proteins , and nucleic acids .
