Pre-Ap biology

Unit 1.1~1.5

< For Tmr formative test >

The nitrogen cycle - Natural cycles and decomposition - Edexcel - GCSE Biology (Single Science)
Revise the natural cycles and decomposition for GCSE Biology with BBC Bitesize.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zw4n97h/revision/5

The stages of the nitrogen cycle - Nitrogen cycle - National 4 Biology Revision - BBC Bitesize
In National 4 Biology discover how atmospheric nitrogen is processed by bacteria, allowing plants and animals to build essen
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z637hyc/revision/2

Nitrogen cycle - The nitrogen cycle, minerals and eutrophication (CCEA) - GCSE Biology (Single
Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere and is an essential component in amino acids and proteins.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/z8fypbk/revision/2

< How materials are cycled in an ecosystem >

Atoms exist in different forms or compounds at different times in history and cycle between them. This
cycling can be seen in the element carbon and the compound water.

Other elements and compounds also exist in cycles. Elements pass along food chains when animals eat
plants and other animals. Many humans eat protein in the form of meat from other animals. The body
breaks this down into amino acids and then uses these to make proteins within the body for growth and
repair. When someone dies these building blocks are returned to the environment to be used by other
living organisms.

Decomposing bacteria and fungi break down dead organisms. They help recycle minerals and nutrients to
the environment, which can then be used by other organisms. As they decompose dead matter, the
decomposers also respire and so release carbon dioxide to the environment, contributing to the carbon
cycle.

Materials cycle through both the non-living abiotic and living biotic factors within the ecosystem.

< The Carbon Cycle >

Carbon is an essential element for life on Earth and parts of each of the cells in our bodies are made from
it. The carbon cycle shows how atoms of this element can exist within different compounds at different
times.

All cells - whether animal, plant or bacteria - contain carbon, because they all contain proteins, fats and
carbohydrates. Plant cell walls, for example, are made of cellulose - a carbohydrate.

Carbon is passed from the atmosphere, as carbon dioxide, to living things, passed from one organism to
the next in complex molecules, and returned to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide again. This is known as
the carbon cycle.
Removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere

Green plants remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by photosynthesis. The carbon becomes part of
complex molecules such as proteins, fats and carbohydrates in the plants.

Returning carbon dioxide to the atmosphere

Organisms return carbon dioxide to the atmosphere by respiration. It is not just animals that respire. Plants
and microorganisms do, too. Carbon dioxide is also released by combustion. The burning of fossil fuels
releases large quantities into the atmosphere.

Passing carbon from one organism to the next

When an animal eats a plant, carbon from the plant becomes part of the fats and proteins in the animal.
Decomposers and some animals, called detrivores, feed on waste material from animals, and the remains
of dead animals and plants. The carbon then becomes part of these organisms.

The three key processes and how they convert carbon are shown in the table below:

Process Carbon starts as Carbon ends as

Photosynthesis Carbon dioxide Glucose

Respiration Glucose Carbon dioxide

Combustion (burning) Fuel (eg methane or wood) Carbon dioxide

< Stage of Carbon Cycle >

1). Carbon eneters the atmosphere as carbon dioxide form repsiration and combustion

2). carbon dioxide is absorbed by producers to make carbohydrates in photosynthesis.

3). Animals feed on plants, passing the carbon compounds along the food chain. Most carbon they
consume is exhaled as carbon dioxide during repsiration. The animals and plants eventually die.

4). Dead organisms are eaten by decomposers and carbon in their bodies is reeturend to the atmosphere
as carbon dioxide. In some conditions decomposition is blocked. The plant and animal material may then
be avaliable as fossil fuel in the future of combustion.

< Water Cycle >

Water is a key compound for life on Earth. All living organisms need water. Some can survive in a dormant
state without it for long periods of time, but all organisms will eventually die without it.

Water is constantly recycled. Energy from the Sun evaporates water from the land and sea forming water
vapour. This rises up into clouds and then cools, condenses and falls as rain onto the ground. The water
then drains into the sea and the water cycle starts again.

These are the key processes in the water cycle.

Process What happens to water

Evaporation Water turns from a liquid to a gas when it

evaporates. Energy from the Sun can evaporate
water from all places on the Earth's surface such
as puddles, ponds, lakes and oceans.

Condensation After evaporation water can cool and convert from

gas to liquid, often forming clouds.

Transport Water within clouds can be blown many miles by

strong winds and so transported to other areas.

Precipitation Precipitation occurs when rain, snow, hail and

sleet fall from the sky.

Surface runoff Much water will be absorbed into the ground after
precipitation but if a large volume falls or the
ground is already wet some water can run along
the surface of the ground.

Infiltration This occurs when water that has fallen as

precipitation is absorbed into the ground. This can
then be stored within underground rocks called
aquifers.

Transpiration Plants need to maintain a constant stream of

water to their leaves for transport and support.
They allow some water to evaporate as water
vapour from their leaves so it is continually 'pulled'
to their leaves from the soil.

<Production of potable water >

Drinking water is usually provided by precipitation.There are problems in supplying potable, drinkable
water in some areas of the world, especially where there is drought.

Seawater is a very abundant source of water, but its high salt content makes it unsuitable as drinking
water. However, pure water can be produced from seawater by distillation. This is also known as thermal
desalination.

During distillation, the seawater is boiled. The water vapour is then cooled and condensed to form pure
water - leaving the salt behind.

The disadvantages of producing drinking water this way include:

it is expensive because large amounts of thermal energy are needed to heat the seawater
it increases the use of fossil fuels - which are non-renewable resources
carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels contribute to global warming
Distillation is common in some Middle Eastern countries that have little rainfall, but are wealthy due to their
oil reserves.

Another method of desalination is reverse osmosis:

salt water is forced at high pressure into a vessel with a partially permeable membrane
the pressure causes water molecules to move in the opposite direction to osmosis from a
concentrated salt solution (low water concentration) to a lower salt concentration (higher water
concentration)
water molecules pass across the membrane leaving the salt behind, so pure water is available for
drinking

Osmosis is the movement of water across a partially permeable membrane from a region of higher water
concentration to a lower water concentration. Reverse osmosis water moves, due to pressure, in the
opposite direction.

< The nitorgen cycle >

Nitrogen is essential for the formation of amino acids which form proteins. The nitrogen cycle is a model
that explains how nitrogen is recycled.

There's lot of nitrogen in the air – about 78% of the air is nitrogen. Because nitrogen is so unreactive, it
cannot be used directly by plants to make protein. Only nitrates are useful to plants, so we are dependent
on other processes to convert nitrogen to nitrates in the soil.

Nitrogen gas from the air is converted to nitrate compounds by nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil or root
nodules. Lightning also converts nitrogen gas to nitrate compounds. The Haber process is a man-
made process where nitrogen gas is converted into ammonia which is used to make fertilisers. Farmers
use fertilisers like ammonium nitrate to help crops to grow and increase yields.
Ammonia is converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria in the soil.
 Plants absorb nitrates from the soil and use these to build up proteins. The plant may be eaten by an
animal, and its biomass used to produce animal protein.
Decomposers break down the bodies of dead organisms, urine and faeces resulting in nitrogen being
returned to the soil as ammonia. This ammonia is converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria.
In some conditions denitrifying bacteria in the soil break down nitrates and return nitrogen back to the
air. This is usually in waterlogged soil. Improving drainage reduces this effect, making the soil more
fertile by retaining more nitrates.

Farmers can increase the nitrate content of soil using two methods:

crop rotation
using fertilisers

Crop rotation and improved soil fertility

Farmers often grow crops such as peas, beans or clover as these crops can form nitrate, as they have
nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots. This will increase the nitrate content and fertility of the soil. Crop
plants will take in the nitrate and use it to make proteins for growth. One year the farmer will grow one of
these crops and then the following years, the farmer will plant another crop in the nitrate rich soil. Growing
different crops each year in a cycle is called crop rotation.

Using fertilisers

Natural fertilisers such as manure or compost are used by farmers to provide a source of nitrate to
increase crop yield. Expensive artificial fertilisers such as ammonium nitrate can be applied to the fields.

Rate of change= change in value/ change in time

rate of change= vertical change (y axis) / horizontal change (x axis)

Nitrogen in ecosystems
The chemical element nitrogen is essential to living organisms because it is needed to make proteins,
which are essential for growth and repair and as enzymes and hormones.

The nitrogen cycle

Most nitrogen is found in the air as a gas. Most plants obtain nitrogen in the form of nitrates from the soil
and use them to produce proteins. Animals obtain nitrogen as part of the proteins they consume.

The movement of nitrogen between the air, soil compounds and compounds in the bodies of living
organisms is called the nitrogen cycle. Different groups of bacteria are very important for keeping the
cycle going so that nitrogen is always available in a form that living organisms can use.

< The stages of the nitrogen cycle >

1. Nitrogen-fixation

Legume plants such as peas, beans and clover contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. These bacteria live in
swellings in the plant roots called nodules. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert nitrogen gas from air into a
form that plants can use to make proteins.

Free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria are also found in the soil. When they die the nitrogen they have fixed
into their biomass is converted into ammonium.

2. Feeding

Animals consume plant protein, digest it using specific enzymes and absorb the free amino acids.

3. Production of nitrogenous waste products

Animals cannot store excess protein in their bodies. They break it down and turn it into waste products
and excrete them from their bodies.

4. Decomposition

Decomposers (some free-living bacteria and fungi) break down animal and plant proteins (from dead
organisms) and nitrogenous waste products to release energy. As a result of decomposition nitrogen is
released into the soil in the form of ammonium.

5. Nitrification

A group of free-living soil bacteria called nitrifying bacteria convert ammonium into nitrates in order to
obtain energy.

6. Uptake of nitrates

Non-legume plants absorb nitrates from the soil into their roots and use the nitrates to produce their
proteins.

7. Denitrification

This is when bacteria in the soil convert the nitrate back into nitrogen gas which then gets released back
into the atmosphere.

Nitrates
Nitrogen gas makes up 78% of Earth’s atmosphere and is an essential component in amino acids and
proteins.

However, plants and animals cannot use nitrogen gas directly.

Plants can only absorb nitrogen in the form of nitrates.

Minerals

Nitrates and other minerals are taken into a plant via specially adapted root cells called root hair cells.

They are specially adapted by having a long extension that provides a large surface area for absorption.

Nitrates are absorbed by the process of active uptake/transport, which moves the mineral from an area of
low concentration in the soil to an area of high concentration, against a concentration gradient, in the plant
root.

Energy (from aerobic respiration) is required to move minerals against the concentration gradient so this
process needs to happen in the presence of oxygen.

Plants use nitrates to make amino acids and proteins; these are then transferred to animals in the food
chain.

<Nitrogen Cycle>
Bacteria carry out the following processes in the nitrogen cycle:

Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen gas is converted into nitrates.
This is carried out by nitrogen fixing bacteria.
Nitrogen fixing bacteria need oxygen as they are aerobic.
This process is quickened by the presence of oxygen and higher temperatures.
These bacteria can be found ‘free’ in the soil or in roots nodules found on the roots of plants such as
peas, beans, and clover.
Within the root nodules the bacteria gain carbohydrates from the plant and the plant gains a source of
nitrates in return

Decomposition
Bacteria/fungi break down protein found in dead plants and animals, urine and faeces into ammonia.

Nitrification
Ammonia is converted into nitrates.
This is carried out by nitrifying bacteria.
Nitrifying bacteria needs oxygen as they are aerobic.
This process is quickened by the presence of oxygen and higher temperatures.

Denitrification
Nitrates are converted into nitrogen gas.
 This process is disadvantageous for the soil and plants.
This is carried out by denitrifying bacteria.
Denitrifying bacteria do not need oxygen as they are anaerobic (therefore they thrive in waterlogged
soil).

<GLOSSARY>
abiotic
Non-living elements of an ecosystem, such as climate, temperature, water, and soil type.

amino acid
The building blocks that make up a protein molecule.

biotic
Living elements of an ecosystem, such as plants and animals.

carbon cycle
The processes and events involved in recycling carbon in the environment.

compound
A substance formed by the chemical union of two or more elements.

condense
Condensation is a change of state in which gas becomes liquid by cooling.

crop rotation
When fields are used to grow the same crop in alternate years. This helps to maintain soil fertility.

decay
When plants wither and die.

decompose

If a substance decomposes, it breaks down into simpler compounds or elements.

decomposer

An organism which eats dead organisms, fallen leaves, animal droppings, etc, and breaks them down into
simpler materials.

decomposition

The process of breaking down material to release nutrients back into the soil.

detrivores

Animals that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal tissue as well as
waste e.g. faeces).

ecosystem

A community of animals, plants and microorganisms, together with the habitat where they live.
element

A substance made of one type of atom only.

enzyme

A protein which catalyses or speeds up a chemical reaction.

evaporation

The process in which a liquid changes state and turns into a gas.

nitrate

The chemical absorbed from the soil by plants to produce their protein.

nitrifying bacteria

The bacteria that produce nitrate which is released into soil.

nitrogen cycle

The sequence of events or processes involved in the recycling of nitrogen in the environment.

nitrogen-fixing bacteria

The bacteria found free-living in the soil or in the root nodules of some plants such as peas and clover that
convert nitrogen gas into nitrate.

osmosis

The movement of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane from a region of higher
water concentration to a region of lower water concentration.

photosynthesis

A chemical process used by plants to make glucose and oxygen from carbon dioxide and water, using light
energy. Oxygen is produced as a by-product of photosynthesis. Algae subsumed within plants and some
bacteria are also photosynthetic.

precipitation

Moisture that falls from the air to the ground. Includes rain, snow, hail, sleet, drizzle, fog and mist.

protein

Organic compound made up of amino acid molecules. One of the three main food groups, proteins are
needed by the body for cell growth and repair.

respiration

The chemical change that takes place inside living cells, which uses glucose and oxygen to release the
energy that organisms need to live. Carbon dioxide is a by-product of respiration.

respire

To engage in respiration, the energy-producing process inside living cells.

water cycle

The continuous movement of water on, above and below the Earth.
ammonium
A nitrogen-containing waste product formed by the decomposition of protein by bacteria.

bacteria
Single-celled microorganisms, some of which are pathogenic in humans, animals and plants. Singular
is bacterium.

decomposition
The process of breaking down material to release nutrients back into the soil.

denitrifying bacteria
The bacteria that convert nitrates in the soil into nitrogen gas which is released into the atmosphere.

fungi
Non-green plants that obtain their energy by decomposing dead organic remains.

nitrate
The chemical absorbed from the soil by plants to produce their protein.

nitrogen cycle
The sequence of events or processes involved in the recycling of nitrogen in the environment.

protein

Organic compound made up of amino acid molecules. One of the three main food groups, proteins are
needed by the body for cell growth and repair.

Limiting nutrient

Any nutrient whose supply limits productivity is called a limiting nutrient.w

Location Begining Form Process Ending forms

Atmosphere N2 Nitorgen fixation of NO3^- (Nitrate)

lightning

Soil Organic matters Nitorgen fixation by NO3^2 (nitrate) and/or

decomposers ammonium (NH^+4)

Soil Nitrate Bacterial denitrification N2

Plants N2 Nitorgen fixation by Nitrates/ammonium

symbiotic bacteria

Plants No3^-(Nitrate) or assimilation Plant DNA

NH4^+ (ammonium)

Herbivores Plant DNA Fertilizers Assimilation DNA

Agriculture Fertilizers Assimilation Plant DNA

Oceans Fertilizers (Nitrates) Assimilation/ algal Algae DNA

bloom
Industry N2 Industrial nitorgen Ammonium (NH^+4)
fixation