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Cycle

Nitrogen Cycle

Nitrogen cycle is an important part of

the ecosystem. In this article, we shall
explore its implications on the
environment in detail.

Table of Contents

What is Nitrogen Cycle

Stages

In Marine Ecosystem

Importance

Conclusion

Nitrogen Cycle Definition

“Nitrogen Cycle is a
biogeochemical process which
transforms the inert nitrogen
present in the atmosphere to a
more usable form for living
organisms.”

Furthermore, nitrogen is a key nutrient

element for plants. However, the
abundant nitrogen in the atmosphere
cannot be used directly by plants or
animals. Read on to explore how
the Nitrogen cycle makes usable
nitrogen available to plants and other
living organisms.

What is the Nitrogen

Cycle?
Nitrogen Cycle is a biogeochemical
process through which nitrogen is
converted into many forms,
consecutively passing from the
atmosphere to the soil to organism
and back into the atmosphere.

It involves several processes such as

nitrogen fixation, nitrification,
denitrification, decay and
putrefaction.

Nitrogen gas exists in both organic

and inorganic forms. Organic nitrogen
exists in living organisms, and they get
passed through the food chain by the
consumption of other living
organisms.

Inorganic forms of nitrogen are found

in abundance in the atmosphere.
This nitrogen is made available to
plants by symbiotic bacteria which
can convert the inert nitrogen into a
usable form – such as nitrites and
nitrates.

Nitrogen undergoes various types of

transformation to maintain a balance
in the ecosystem. Furthermore, this
process extends to various biomes,
with the marine nitrogen cycle being
one of the most complicated
biogeochemical cycles.

Nitrogen Cycle Explained

– Stages of Nitrogen Cycle
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. Here, Atmospheric nitrogen (N2)
which is primarily available in an inert
form, is converted into the
usable form -ammonia (NH3).

During the process of Nitrogen fixation,

the inert form of nitrogen gas is
deposited into soils from the
atmosphere and surface waters,
mainly through precipitation.

The entire process of Nitrogen fixation

is completed by symbiotic bacteria,
which are known as Diazotrophs.
Azotobacter and Rhizobium also have
a major role in this process. These
bacteria consist of a nitrogenase
enzyme, which has the capability to
combine gaseous nitrogen with
hydrogen to form ammonia.

Nitrogen fixation can occur either by

atmospheric fixation- which involves
lightening, or industrial fixation by
manufacturing ammonia under high
temperature and pressure
conditions. This can also be fixed
through man-made processes,
primarily industrial processes that
create ammonia and nitrogen-rich
fertilisers.

Recommended Video:

Nitrogen Cycle - Video

986

Types of Nitrogen Fixation

1. Atmospheric fixation: A natural

phenomenon where the energy
of lightning breaks the nitrogen
into nitrogen oxides, which are
then used by plants.

2. Industrial nitrogen fixation: It is

a man-made alternative that
aids in nitrogen fixation by the
use of ammonia. Ammonia is
produced by the direct
combination of nitrogen and
hydrogen. Later, it is converted
into various fertilisers such as
urea.

3. Biological nitrogen fixation: We

already know that nitrogen is
not used directly from the air by
plants and animals. Bacteria like
Rhizobium and blue-green
algae transform the unusable
form of nitrogen into other
compounds that are more
readily usable. These nitrogen
compounds get fixed in the soil
by these microbes.

Also Read: Nitrogen Fixation And

Nitrogen Metabolism

Nitrification
In this process, the ammonia is
converted into nitrate by the presence
of bacteria in the soil. Nitrites are
formed by the oxidation of ammonia
with the help of Nitrosomonas
bacteria species. Later, the produced
nitrites are converted into nitrates by
Nitrobacter. This conversion is very
important as ammonia gas is toxic for
plants.

The reaction involved in the process of

Nitrification is as follows:

2NH3 + 3O2 → 2NO2– + 2H+ + 2H2O

2NO2– + O2 → 2NO3–

Assimilation
Primary producers – plants take in the
nitrogen compounds from the soil
with the help of their roots, which are
available in the form of ammonia,
nitrite ions, nitrate ions or ammonium
ions and are used in the formation of
the plant and animal proteins. This
way, it enters the food web when the
primary consumers eat the plants.

Ammonification
When plants or animals die,
the nitrogen present in the organic
matter is released back into the soil.
The decomposers, namely bacteria or
fungi present in the soil, convert the
organic matter back into ammonium.
This process of
decomposition produces ammonia,
which is further used for other
biological processes.

Denitrification
Denitrification is the process in which
the nitrogen compounds make their
way back into the atmosphere
by converting nitrate (NO3-) into
gaseous nitrogen (N). This process of
the nitrogen cycle is the final stage
and occurs in the absence of oxygen.
Denitrification is carried out by
the denitrifying bacterial species-
Clostridium and Pseudomonas, which
will process nitrate to gain oxygen and
gives out free nitrogen gas as a
byproduct.

Nitrogen Cycle in Marine

Ecosystem
The process of the nitrogen cycle
occurs in the same manner in the
marine ecosystem as in the terrestrial
ecosystem. The only difference is that
it is carried out by marine bacteria.

The nitrogen-containing compounds

fall into the ocean as sediments get
compressed over long periods and
form sedimentary rock. Due to the
geological uplift, these sedimentary
rocks move to land. Initially, it was not
known that these nitrogen-containing
sedimentary rocks are an essential
source of nitrogen. But, recent
researches have proved that the
nitrogen from these rocks is released
into the plants due to the weathering
of rocks.

Importance of Nitrogen
Cycle
The importance of the nitrogen cycle
are as follows:

1. Helps plants to synthesise

chlorophyll from the nitrogen
compounds.

2. Helps in converting inert

nitrogen gas into a usable form
for the plants through the
biochemical process.

3. In the process of
ammonification, the bacteria
help in decomposing the animal
and plant matter, which
indirectly helps to clean up the
environment.

4. Nitrates and nitrites are released

into the soil, which helps in
enriching the soil with the
necessary nutrients required for
cultivation.

5. Nitrogen is an integral
component of the cell and it
forms many crucial compounds
and important biomolecules.

Nitrogen is also cycled by human

activities such as the combustion of
fuels and the use of nitrogen fertilisers.
These processes increase the levels of
nitrogen-containing compounds in
the atmosphere. The fertilisers
containing nitrogen are washed away
in lakes, rivers and result in
eutrophication.

Conclusion
Nitrogen is abundant in the
atmosphere, but it is unusable to
plants or animals unless it is
converted into nitrogen
compounds.

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a

crucial role in fixing atmospheric
nitrogen into nitrogen
compounds that can be used by
plants.

The plants absorb the usable

nitrogen compounds from the
soil through their roots. Then,
these nitrogen compounds are
used for the production of
proteins and other compounds
in the plant cell.

Animals assimilate nitrogen by

consuming these plants or other
animals that contain nitrogen.
Humans consume proteins from
these plants and animals. The
nitrogen then assimilates into
our body system.

During the final stages of the

nitrogen cycle, bacteria and
fungi help decompose organic
matter, where the nitrogenous
compounds get dissolved into
the soil which is again used by
the plants.

Some bacteria then convert

these nitrogenous compounds
in the soil and turn it into
nitrogen gas. Eventually, it goes
back to the atmosphere.

These sets of processes repeat

continuously and thus maintain
the percentage of nitrogen in
the atmosphere.

Further Reading: Other

Biogeochemical Cycles

To explore more about the Nitrogen

cycle, or the steps involved, keep
visiting BYJU’S Biology website or
download the BYJU’S app, for further
reference.

Frequently Asked
Questions

Q1 Why is nitrogen important for life?

Nitrogen constitutes many cellular

components and is essential in
many biological processes. For
instance, the amino acids contain
nitrogen and form building blocks
that make up various components
of the human body such as hair,
tissues and muscles.

Q2 Why do plants need nitrogen?

Plants need nitrogen as this

element is an important
component of chlorophyll.
Consequently, chlorophyll is vital
for the process of photosynthesis,
so lack of nitrogen can cause
deficiency disorders such as
stunted growth and other
abnormalities

Q3 List the different steps that

explain the Nitrogen Cycle
process.

Nitrogen Fixation

Assimilation

Ammonification

Nitrification

Denitrification

Q4 What is Ammonification?

Ammonification occurs during

the decomposition of organic
matter, where ammonifying
bacteria convert organic nitrogen
into inorganic components like
ammonia or ammonium ions.

Q5 What is Nitrification?

Nitrification is a process that

converts ammonia into nitrate by
bacteria. Initially, the ammonia is
converted to nitrite (NO2−) by the
bacteria Nitrosomonas, or
Nitrococcus, etc., and then to
nitrate (NO3–) by Nitrobacter.

Q6 What is Denitrification?

Denitrification is the process of

converting the nitrate back into
molecular nitrogen by bacterias
such as Pseudomonas,
Thiobacillus, Bacillus subtilis etc.

Q7 What is the function of nitrifying

bacteria?

Nitrifying bacteria are a small

group of aerobic bacteria, which
are mainly involved in the
conversion of ammonia into
nitrates.

Q8 Which part of the plant is

involved in nitrogen fixation?

The process of nitrogen fixation is

carried out naturally in the
soil within nodules in the plant’s
root systems.

Explore more topics – from

photosynthesis and flowering plants
to human anatomy and
cryotechnology, only at BYJU’S Biology.

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