Nitrogen cycles through the biosphere:

bacteria in action

Prepared by: Julameen L. Abdulkarim

What is nitrogen?
• Nitrogen (N) is an element

• a colorless, oderless, and tasteless gas.

• 78% percent of our atmospehere is composed of nitrogen.

• Nitrogen is discovered in 1772 by chemist named daniel

Rutherford his experiment involved trapping air in a bottle and
burning away the oxygen leaving nitrogen.
•The nitrogen is
present also in
ocean, soil, and all
organism
• The Biosphere - Contains all the planet's living things. This
sphere includes all of the microorganisms, plants, and animals
of Earth. Within the biosphere, living things form ecological
communities based on the physical surroundings of an area.
These communities are referred to as biomes. Deserts,
grasslands, and tropical rainforests are three of the many
types of biomes that exist within the biosphere.
Nitrogen cycles through the biosphere
through what is known as the nitrogen
cycle.
What is nitrogen cycle?

-The process by which the nitrogen is converted

into nitrogen compounds through the
atmosphere, soil, and organism.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen gas (N2)

BA
CT R IA
ER TE
IA AC
B
NITRATES (NO3)
• usable for all living things such
as plants and animals
 How does the nitrogen cycle occur?
• The five processes of the nitrogen cycle

1. Nitrogen fixation
2. Nitrification
3. Assimilation
4. Ammonification
5. Denitrification
 * To make it simplier, let us
divide the cycle into 4 sequences.
 SEQUENCE 1:

• Fixing nitrogen in the atmosphere

- although the atmosphere consisted of 78% nitrogen

• it cannot be used by plants
and animal directly to create
nitrogen compounds such as
amino acids and protiens for
thier growth regenaration
and digestion.

• Nitrogen should be
converted or fix first before it
becomes useful to all living
things.
1. Nitrogen fixation

(atmosphere)
• When lightning strikes the nitrogen gas (N2) in the atmosphere,
the two atoms of nitrogen gas separate from each other and
reacts to oxygen .

• Consequently, the nitrates (NO3) will form.

• the process of converting nitrogen gas (N2) into nitrates(NO3)

through lightning is nitrogen fixation.
• The nitrogen gas (N2) fixed into nitrates (NO3) by lightning will reach
the ground through rain.

• However, the nitrogen fixation in atmosphere contributes small

amount of nitrogen in the cycle.

2. Assimilation
-The nitrates from the soil are absorbed by the roots of plants to
make their own amino acids to produce proteins which are nedeed
for their growth and phothosysthetic activity.
• The process of absorbing nitrates from soil by the roots of plants is
Assimalation.

• Without suffient nitrates, the plants will not grow well and thier
leaves will turn into yellow resulting to low harvest.
Sequence 2:

fixing nitrogen in the soil

 Nitrogen fixation (soil)
• Nitrogen fixation does not only take place in the atmosphere. it is
also occuring in the soil. through bacteria the roots of lagumes such
as peas, beans, and peanuts.

• The Rhizobium bacteria in the roots of lagumes fixed or convert the

nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia (NH3) one of the
nitrogen compounds.

• The process of converting nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3) by

bacteria in the root of lagumes is nitrogen fixation in the soil
• This ammonia (NH3), this ammonia will be absorbed by the roots of
plants.
 3. Nitrification

The large amount of nitrogen fixation is accomplished by the

free living bacteria in the soil or what we called nitrifying
bacteria (Nitrosomonas and nitrobacter)

They convert amonia (NH3) into nitrates (NO3 )

The process of converting ammonia (NH3) into nitrates (NO3)

by the nitrifying bacteria is nitrification.
Sequence 3: ACQUIRING NITROGEN
FROM ORGANISM
4. Ammonification
 The Ammonification

• The carabao that assimilates nitrogen from the tree will be dead over time its
body and waste together with other dead plants and animals will decay
through the action of bacteria and fungi as a result the ammonia (NH3) will be.

• This process of converting dead organic matter into ammonia (NH3) through
the action of bacteria and fungi/decomposer is ammonification.

• Ammonia (NH3) is also coverted into nitrates (NO3) through Nitrification.

• The nitrifying bacteria transform the ammonia (NH3) into nitrates (NO3) and
assimiliate from the tree.
SEQUENCE 4: Returning the nitrogen back
into the atmosphere
 5. Denitrification
• The nitrates (NO3) produce form fixation in the atmosphere and soil
and dead organic matter will be coverted again into nitrogen gas (N2)
by the DENITRIFYING BACTERIA..

• among the denitriying microorganisms are (Bacillus, Enterobacter,

Micrococcus, Pseudomonas, Spirillum, Proteus, Aerobacter, and
Flavobacterium.)

• This process of coverting nitrates into nitrogen gas is denitrification..

THE NITROGEN CYCLE
What is the importance of nitrogen cycle
• helps plants systhesise chlorophyll from the nitrogen compounds.

• in the process of ammonification, the bacteria help in decomposing

the animal and plant matter, which indirectly helps to clean up the
environment.

• nitrates are released into the soil, which helps in enriching the soil
with the necessary nutrients required for cultivation.
Conclusion
• nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere but it is unusable to plants or
animals unless it is coverted into nitrogen compounds (nitrates,
ammonia,)

• Nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a crucial role in fixing atmospheric

nitrogen into nitrogen compounds that can be used by plants.

• animals assimilate nitrogen by consuming these plants or other

animals that contain nitrogen. humans consume protiens from these
plants and animals the nitrogen then assimates into our body system
• Some bateria then convert these nitrogenous compounds in the soil
turn it into nitrogen gas eventually, it goes back to the atmosphere.

• These sets of process repeat continously and thus maintain the

percentage of nitrogen in the atmosphere.
 SOURCES/REFERENCES....
• NItrogen cycle: nitrogen fixation, nitrification assimilation, ammonification
and dinitrification.... youtube.com

• Socratic Q&A How does nitrogen cycle trhough bioshere? socaratic org.

• https://byjus.com/biology/nitrogen-cycle/?
fbclid=IwAR1eWhwX8liKlwmXNR0Dtxt4SGERQmN3voza16iNuWaLAysO7vbaJv
Rtip4 nitrogen cycle explained and definition
THANK YOU....