The Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen Fixation/ Ammonification

N2 → NH4+
 Nitrogen gas is converted by
microorganisms into ammonium (NH4+)

 Ammonium can be absorbed and

fixated (stuck) on to soil particles or be
taken up by plants.

 Other means of nitrogen fixation are

lightning, forest fires, hot-lava, and
manufacturing of synthetic fertilizers.
Nitrogen Fixation/
Ammonification
 Nitrogen fixation is the only way that organisms can
attain nitrogen directly from the atmosphere.

 Certain bacteria, e.g. genus Rhizobium, are capable of

fixing nitrogen through metabolic processes.

 Nitrogen fixing bacteria often form symbiotic

relationships with host plants (e.g. beans, peas,
clover)

 There are nitrogen fixing bacteria that exist without

plant hosts, known as free-living nitrogen fixers e.g.
blue-green algae (cyanobacteria)
Nitrogen Uptake NH4+ → Organic N
 Nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil
water move into plant roots to help them to
survive and grow

 Organic Nitrogen- Nitrogen enters the

soil in organic forms such as plant roots,
leaves, and other plant materials, in
addition to dead animals, insects, and
microorganisms, manure, compost, and
sewage sludge.

 Decomposition occurs forming humus which

contains organic nitrogen.
Nitrogen Mineralization
Organic N → NH4+

 Conversion into an
inorganic form.

 Plants can then

use this inorganic
N to grow.
Nitrification NH4+ → NO3-
 Under certain conditions
nitrifying bacteria
(Nitrosomonas) in the soil
convert ammonia first to
nitrites (NO2-)

 And then other bacteria

(Nitrobacter) convert
nitrites into Nitrate (NO3-),
which plants can then use to
grow.

 Some nitrates are absorbed

by plants, reentering the
cycle
Denitrification NO3- → N2+ N2O
 Denitrifying bacteria are unhelpful to
the cycle
 Nitrate or Nitrite nitrogen is converted
into nitrous oxide and nitrogen gas in
extremely wet soils and poorly drained
soils (like in wetlands)
 These gases escape into Earth's
atmosphere and are not available for
plant use.
 This is an anaerobic process
NO3- → NO2- → NO → N2O → N2
 Figure 1: The nitrogen cycle. Yellow
arrows indicate human sources of
nitrogen to the environment. Red
arrows indicate microbial
transformations of nitrogen. Blue
arrows indicate physical forces
acting on nitrogen. And green
arrows indicate natural, non-
microbial processes affecting the
form and fate of nitrogen.
MAN LOOK WHAT YOU DO?
 Early in the 20th century, a German scientist named
Fritz Haber figured out how to short circuit the
nitrogen cycle by fixing nitrogen chemically at high
temperatures and pressures, creating fertilizers that
could be added directly to soil.
 This technology has spread rapidly over the past
century, and, along with the advent of new crop
varieties, the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers has
led to an enormous boom in agricultural
productivity.
 This agricultural productivity has helped us to feed
a rapidly growing world population, but the
increase in nitrogen fixation has had some negative
consequences as well. While the consequences are
perhaps not as obvious as an increase in global
temperatures or a hole in the ozone layer, they are
just as serious and potentially harmful for humans
and other organisms.
 Not all of the nitrogen fertilizer applied to
agricultural fields stays to nourish crops.
Some is washed off of agricultural fields by
rain or irrigation water, where it leaches into
surface or ground water and can accumulate.
In groundwater that is used as a drinking
water source, excess nitrogen can lead to
cancer in humans and respiratory distress in
infants.
 In surface waters, added nitrogen can lead to
nutrient over-enrichment, particularly in
coastal waters receiving the inflow from
polluted rivers. This nutrient over-enrichment,
also called eutrophication, has been blamed
for increased frequencies of coastal fish-kill
events, increased frequencies of harmful algal
blooms, and species shifts within coastal
ecosystems.
 Reactive nitrogen (like NO3- and NH4+) present in surface waters and soils, can
also enter the atmosphere as the smog-component nitric oxide (NO) and the
greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N2O).
 Eventually, this atmospheric nitrogen can be blown into nitrogen-sensitive
terrestrial environments, causing long-term changes. For example, nitrogen oxides
comprise a significant portion of the acidity in acid rain which has been blamed
for forest death and decline in parts of Europe and the Northeast United States.
 Increases in atmospheric nitrogen deposition have also been blamed for more
subtle shifts in dominant species and ecosystem function in some forest and
grassland ecosystems. For example, on nitrogen-poor serpentine soils of northern
Californian grasslands, plant assemblages have historically been limited to native
species that can survive without a lot of nitrogen.
 There is now some evidence that elevated levels of atmospheric N input from
nearby industrial and agricultural development have paved the way for invasion
by non-native plants. As noted earlier, NO is also a major factor in the formation
of smog, which is known to cause respiratory illnesses like asthma in both
children and adults.
 Human activities and the nitrogen cycle Human activities cause increased nitrogen deposition in a variety of ways, including
 burning of both fossil fuels and forests, which releases nitrogen into the atmosphere
 fertilizing crops with nitrogen-based fertilizers, which then enter the soil and water
 ranching, during which livestock waste releases ammonia into the soil and water
 allowing sewage and septic tanks to leach into streams, rivers, and groundwater
 back to top
 Harmful effects of nitrogen deposition
 The consequences of human-caused nitrogen deposition are profound and influence many aspects of the Earth system, including
 ecosystems: Nitrogen additions to the soil can lead to changes that favor weeds over native plants, which in turn reduces species diversity and
changes ecosystems. Research shows that nitrogen levels are linked with changes in grassland species, from mosses and lichens to grasses and
flowers.

 precipitation: Nitrogen oxides react with water to form nitric acid, which along with sulfur dioxide is a major component of acid rain. Acid rain can
damage and kill aquatic life and vegetation, as well as corrode buildings, bridges, and other structures.

 air quality: High concentrations of nitrogen oxides in the lower atmosphere are a precursor to tropospheric ozone which is known to damage living
tissues, including human lungs, and decrease plant production.

 water quality: Adding large amounts of nitrogen to rivers, lakes, and coastal systems results in eutrophication, a condition that occurs in aquatic
ecosystems when excessive nutrient concentrations stimulate blooms of algae that deplete oxygen, killing fish and other organisms and ruining
water quality. Parts of the Gulf of Mexico, for example, are so inundated with excess fertilizer that the water is clogged with algae, suffocating fish
and other marine life.

 carbon cycle: The impacts of nitrogen deposition on the global carbon cycle are uncertain, but it is likely that some ecosystems have been fertilized
by additional nitrogen, which may boost their capture and storage of carbon. Sustained carbon sinks are unlikely, however, because soil
acidification, ozone pollution, and other negative effects eventually compromise nitrogen-enhanced carbon uptake.