Scribd
Upload
548 views

Nitrogen Cycle: By-Siddhant Sethi and Vibhor Sharma Class - 9 - A

The document summarizes the nitrogen cycle. It describes how nitrogen exists in the atmosphere as N2 gas but must be converted to a more usable form for plants and animals. The nitrogen cycle involves biological and non-biological processes including nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification that transform nitrogen between its different chemical forms and allow it to cycle between the atmosphere, soil, plants, and animals. The nitrogen cycle is important but human activities like agriculture and fossil fuel combustion have disrupted it, causing issues like soil acidification, pollution, and increased greenhouse gases.

Uploaded by

Siddhant Sethi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
548 views

Nitrogen Cycle: By-Siddhant Sethi and Vibhor Sharma Class - 9 - A

The document summarizes the nitrogen cycle. It describes how nitrogen exists in the atmosphere as N2 gas but must be converted to a more usable form for plants and animals. The nitrogen cycle involves biological and non-biological processes including nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification that transform nitrogen between its different chemical forms and allow it to cycle between the atmosphere, soil, plants, and animals. The nitrogen cycle is important but human activities like agriculture and fossil fuel combustion have disrupted it, causing issues like soil acidification, pollution, and increased greenhouse gases.

Uploaded by

Siddhant Sethi
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 33

NITROGEN

CYCLE
By- Siddhant Sethi and Vibhor Sharma
Class- 9th - A
NITROGE
N
• Nitrogen is a constituent element of amino
acids and thus of proteins, and of nucleic
acids, DNA and RNA.
• Majority of air we breath is N2.
• Many industrially important compounds,
such as ammonia, nitric acid and cyanides,
contain nitrogen.
•Composes about four-fifths (78.03 percent)
by volume of the atmosphere.
NITROGEN IN NITROGEN
CYCLE
•Nitrogen occurs in all living organisms, and
the nitrogen cycle describes movement of the
element from air into the biosphere and
organic compounds, then back into the
atmosphere.
•In order for plants and animals to be able to
use nitrogen, N2 gas must first be converted to
a more a chemically available form.
What is Nitrogen Cycle ?
The nitrogen cycle is the process by which
nitrogen is converted between its various
chemical forms. This transformation can be
carried out via both biological and non-
biological processes. Important processes in
the nitrogen cycle include fixation,
ammonification, nitrification, and
denitrification.
Steps of Nitrogen Cycle
1)Nitrogen Fixation
2)Nitrogen Assimilation
3)Ammonification
4)Nitrification
5)Denitrification
1) Nitrogen Fixation
Nitrogen fixation is the natural process, either biological
or abiotic, by which nitrogen (N2) in the atmosphere is
converted into ammonia (NH3). It is mostly done by
nitrogen fixing bacteria in legume root.
FIXATION BY LIGHTNING
During lightning atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen combine to form
nitrogen oxides during high- energy electrical discharge in the
atmosphere. These dissolve in rain to form nitric acid. When natural
minerals like limestone present in soil react with nitric acid, soluble
nitrates(such as calcium nitrate) are formed, which can be absorbed
by the plants. The high energies provided by lightning and cosmic
radiation serve to combine atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen into
nitrates, which are carried to the Earth’s surface in precipitation.
BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION
Nitrogen fixation can also be accomplished by nitrogen fixing bacteria
present in the root nodules of leguminous plants(such as peas and beans).
These bacteria can convert atmospheric nitrogen directly to ammonia
through a nitrogen fixing bacteria such as Rhizobium. The ammonia is
subsequently used by plants for the synthesis of biological molecules
such as amino acids, proteins, and nucleic acids.
2) Nitrogen Assimilation
Some plants get nitrogen from the soil, and by absorption of their
roots in the form of either nitrate ions or ammonium ions. All
nitrogen obtained by animals can be traced back to the eating of
plants at some stage of the food chain.
3) Ammonification
When a plant dies, an animal dies, or an animal expels waste, the
initial form of nitrogen is organic. Bacteria, or in some cases, fungi,
convert the organic nitrogen within the remains back into
ammonium (NH4+), a process called ammonification.

Step
3
4) Nitrification
Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia with oxygen
into nitrite followed by the oxidation of these nitrites into nitrates.
Degradation of ammonia to nitrite is usually the rate limiting step
of nitrification. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen
cycle in soil.
5) Denitrification
The process where nitrates are metabolized by denitrifying
bacteria to free nitrogen and returned to the atmosphere.
Human Intrusion and It’s Effects
Declination of nitrogen in the soil
• cultivation of croplands
• harvesting of crops
• cutting of forests
Over supply of Nitrogen
• the production and use of nitrogen fertilizers
• burning of fossil fuels in automobiles, power
generation plants, and industries
Effects of Over Supply of Nitrogen
• acidification of soils and of the waters of streams
and lakes
• acid rain
• Increased global concentrations of nitrous oxide
(N2O), a potent greenhouse gas.
Effects of Over Supply of Nitrogen
• stratospheric ozone depletion
• greatly increased transport of nitrogen by
rivers into estuaries and coastal waters where
it is a major pollutant.
THANK YOU

You might also like