EL

Nitrogen Cycle 

Terms

  • Ammonification - when a plant or animal decays and Nitrogen is released back into the soil
  • Denitrification - when soil nitrate is converted to N2O and N2 gases
  • Nitrification - when amonia oxizes to nitrate and nitrite
  • Nitrogen Fixation - when N2 combines chemically to create amonia and nitrates and nitrites

Function

  • nitrogen is the most common gas (78%)
  • Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for plants, but they can’t access it before the Nitrogen compound has undergone nitrogen fixation
  • N2 is very stable and non reactive - unusable to plants and animals
  • Bacteria in soil takes N2 in atmosphere and create amonia (plants can use this)
  • Animals eat plants to receive Nitrogen
  • Lightning can break the N2 bonds to have them attach to O2 and make Nitrogen Oxide

Anthropogenic Factors

  • Nitrogen based fertilizers (because of runoff into water causing algae blooms)
  • Pollution releases nitric oxide into atmosphere