Knowledge Builders

what is nitrogen cycle short definition

by Cordia Sipes Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
image

The nitrogen cycle is a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria. In order to move through the different parts of the cycle, nitrogen must change forms.Mar 12, 2019

Full Answer

What are the 5 stages of the nitrogen cycle?

What are the 5 stages of the nitrogen cycle? There are five stages in the nitrogen cycle, and we will now discuss each of them in turn: fixation or volatilization, mineralization, nitrification, immobilization, and denitrification. What is 9th nitrogen cycle? Nitrogen Cycle is a biogeochemical process through which nitrogen is converted into ...

What are the steps of the nitrogen cycle?

What Are the Steps of the Nitrogen Cycle?

  1. Nitrogen Fixation. Believe it or not, lightning and bacteria are primarily responsible for turning atmospheric nitrogen into nitrogen living things can use.
  2. Nitrification. Ammonia in the soil can be used directly by plants, but it's also the first step in the process of nitrification, through which specialized bacteria and archaea ...
  3. Ammonification. ...

More items...

What is a summary of the nitrogen cycle?

“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.

Which process completes the nitrogen cycle?

The stages of the nitrogen cycle

  1. Nitrogen-fixation. Legume plants such as peas, beans and clover contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria. ...
  2. Feeding. Animals consume plant protein, digest it using specific enzymes and absorb the free amino acids.
  3. Production of nitrogenous waste products. ...
  4. Decomposition. ...
  5. Nitrification. ...
  6. Uptake of nitrates. ...
  7. Denitrification. ...

image

What is nitrogen cycle in short?

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.

Why is nitrogen a cycle?

The nitrogen cycle refers to the movement of nitrogen within and between the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. The nitrogen cycle matters because nitrogen is an essential nutrient for sustaining life on Earth.

What is nitrogen cycle with example?

The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The majority of Earth's atmosphere (78%) is atmospheric nitrogen, making it the largest source of nitrogen.

What is the best definition of nitrogen?

: a nonmetallic chemical element that under standard conditions is a colorless, odorless, inert gas, that constitutes 78 percent of the Earth's atmosphere, and that is used especially in the industrial synthesis of ammonia, as a component of inert atmospheres, and in liquid form as a refrigerant — see Chemical Elements ...

Who discovered nitrogen cycle?

About three decades after it was discovered that living plants needed nitrogen, Jules Reiset recognized in 1856 that decaying organic matter releases nitrogen [17]. This discovery ultimately provided the basis for the nitrogen cycle because it was the first evidence of nitrogen cycling in the biological sphere.

What is the nitrogen cycle step by step?

In general, the nitrogen cycle has five steps:Nitrogen fixation (N2 to NH3/ NH4+ or NO3-)Nitrification (NH3 to NO3-)Assimilation (Incorporation of NH3 and NO3- into biological tissues)Ammonification (organic nitrogen compounds to NH3)Denitrification(NO3- to N2)

What is the nitrogen cycle for kids?

The nitrogen cycle describes how nitrogen moves between plants, animals, bacteria, the atmosphere (the air), and soil in the ground. Nitrogen is an important element to all life on Earth. For Nitrogen to be used by different life forms on Earth, it must change into different states.

What is nitrogen cycle and draw?

The nitrogen cycle is a process in which plants transform atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates, nitrites, and ammonia molecules. Plants provide the nitrogen that animals require. The nitrogen cycle consists of four steps: nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and de-nitrification.

What is nitrogen cycle Vedantu?

The nitrogen cycle is a cyclic process where the nitrogen travels from inorganic form in the atmosphere and to the organic way in the living organisms. The nitrogen cycle contains several steps, such as nitrogen fixation, assimilation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.

What is nitrogen in biology?

Nitrogen is a critical limiting element for plant growth and production. It is a major component of chlorophyll, the most important pigment needed for photosynthesis, as well as amino acids, the key building blocks of proteins. It is also found in other important biomolecules, such as ATP and nucleic acids.

Why is nitrogen important short answer?

Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for the production of amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids, etc., and stone fruit trees require an adequate annual supply for proper growth and productivity. Nitrogen is primarily absorbed through fine roots as either ammonium or nitrate.

What is the definition of nitrogen in biology?

Nitrogen is a naturally occurring element that is essential for growth and reproduction in both plants and animals. It is found in amino acids that make up proteins, in nucleic acids, that comprise the hereditary material and life's blueprint for all cells, and in many other organic and inorganic compounds.

What is a good example of nitrogen?

In the atmosphere, nitrogen exists as a gas (N2), but in the soils it exists as nitrogen oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, and when used as a fertilizer, can be found in other forms, such as ammonia, NH3, which can be processed even further into a different fertilizer, ammonium nitrate, or NH4NO3.

What are examples of cycles?

The seasons are a well-known example of a cycle. You may have studied the water cycle or the rock cycle in school. These are just two examples of cycles.

What is an example of nitrogen gas?

Nitrogenous compounds Examples of organic nitrogen compounds are amides, amines, imines, imides, azides, azo compounds, cyanates, isocyanates, nitrates, nitrites, nitro compounds, and so on. Nitrogen is one of the major component elements of the nitrogenous bases, nucleic acids, amino acids, and proteins.

What are the 4 steps in nitrogen cycle?

Four processes participate in the cycling of nitrogen through the biosphere: (1) nitrogen fixation, (2) decay, (3) nitrification, and (4) denitrification.

What is the nitrogen cycle?

Definition. The nitrogen cycle refers to the cycle of nitrogen atoms through the living and non-living systems of Earth. The nitrogen cycle is vital for life on Earth. Through the cycle, atmospheric nitrogen is converted to a form which plants can incorporate into new proteins.

What type of bacteria converts ammonia into nitrogen dioxide?

This requires two steps, performed by two different types of bacteria. First, soil bacteria such as Nitrosomonas or Nitrococcus convert ammonia into nitrogen dioxide. Then another type of soil bacterium, called Nitrobacter, adds a third oxygen atom to create nitrate.

How did the first nucleotides and amino acids form?

It’s thought that the first nucleotides and amino acids formed naturally under the volatile conditions of early Earth, where energy sources like lightning strikes could cause nitrogen and other atoms to react and form complex structures

What is the process of nitrogen fixation?

Nitrogen Fixation. In the process of nitrogen fixation, bacteria turn nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonia. These nitrogen-fixing bacteria, often called “diazotrophs,” have an enzyme called “nitrogenase” which combines nitrogen atoms with hydrogen atoms.

Why is denitrification important?

In some ecosystems, this denitrification is a valuable process to prevent nitrogen compounds in the soil from building up to dangerous levels.

How is ammonia converted into nitrogen?

Alternatively, the ammonia may be converted back into atmospheric nitrogen through the process of denitrification.

Why did early life forms not need nitrogen?

B. Early life forms did not need nitrogen because they did not use DNA, RNA, or amino acids. C. Amino acids and nucleotide bases can be naturally created in small quantities by a high-energy phenomenon like lightning strikes.

What is the global cycling of nitrogen?

Global cycling of reactive nitrogen including industrial fertilizer production, nitrogen fixed by natural ecosystems, nitrogen fixed by oceans, nitrogen fixed by agricultural crops, NOx emitted by biomass burning, NOx emitted from soil, nitrogen fixed by lightning, NH3 emitted by terrestrial ecosystems, deposition of nitrogen to terrestrial surfaces and oceans, NH3 emitted from oceans, ocean NO2 emissions from the atmosphere, denitrification in oceans, and reactive nitrogen burial in oceans.

Why is nitrogen referred to as new nitrogen?

Outside sources are upwelling from deep water and nitrogen fixation. If the organic matter is eaten, respired, delivered to the water as ammonia, and re-incorporated into organic matter by phytoplankton it is considered recycled/regenerated production.

What is the nitrogen cycle?

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, ...

How does human activity affect the nitrogen cycle?

Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, and release of nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle. Human modification of the global nitrogen cycle can negatively affect the natural environment system and also human health.

How does nitrogen affect the ecosystem?

The nitrogen cycle is of particular interest to ecologists because nitrogen availability can affect the rate of key ecosystem processes, including primary production and decomposition. Human activities such as fossil fuel combustion, use of artificial nitrogen fertilizers, and release of nitrogen in wastewater have dramatically altered the global nitrogen cycle. Human modification of the global nitrogen cycle can negatively affect the natural environment system and also human health.

What are the different types of nitrogen?

Nitrogen is present in the environment in a wide variety of chemical forms including organic nitrogen, ammonium (NH +#N#4 ), nitrite (NO −#N#2 ), nitrate (NO −#N#3 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O), nitric oxide (NO) or inorganic nitrogen gas (N 2 ). Organic nitrogen may be in the form of a living organism, humus or in the intermediate products of organic matter decomposition. The processes in the nitrogen cycle is to transform nitrogen from one form to another. Many of those processes are carried out by microbes, either in their effort to harvest energy or to accumulate nitrogen in a form needed for their growth. For example, the nitrogenous wastes in animal urine are broken down by nitrifying bacteria in the soil to be used by plants. The diagram alongside shows how these processes fit together to form the nitrogen cycle.

What does the blue box on the nitrogen cycle represent?

A simple diagram of the nitrogen cycle. The blue boxes represent stores of nitrogen, the green writing is for processes that occur to move the nitrogen from one place to another and the red writing are all the bacteria involved. Classical representation of the nitrogen cycle.

What happens to the nitrates and ammonia in plants?

Nitrates and ammonia resulting from nitrogen fixation are assimilated into the specific tissue compounds of algae and higher plants. Animals then ingest these algae and plants, converting them into their own body compounds.

What is the nitrogen fixation cycle?

See all videos for this article. Nitrogen fixation, in which nitrogen gas is converted into inorganic nitrogen compounds, is mostly (90 percent) accomplished by certain bacteria and blue-green algae.

What is a fava bean?

fava bean. Pods of the broad bean, or fava bean ( Vicia faba ). The symbioses of fava beans and other legumes with bacteria, such as Rhizobium, form nitrogen compounds that can be used by plants, which are in turn consumed by animals. © Esin Deniz/stock.adobe.com.

How are nitrates metabolized?

Nitrates also are metabolized by denitrifying bacteria, which are especially active in water-logged anaerobic soils. The action of these bacteria tends to deplete soil nitrates, forming free atmospheric nitrogen.

How is nitrogen fixed?

A much smaller amount of free nitrogen is fixed by abiotic means (e.g., lightning, ultraviolet radiation, electrical equipment) and by conversion to ammonia through the Haber-Bosch process. The nitrogen cycle is the circulation of nitrogen in various forms through nature.

What is the nitrogen budget?

The nitrogen budget involves the chemical transformation of diatomic nitrogen (N 2 ), which makes up 78 percent of the atmospheric gases, into compounds containing ammonium (NH + ), nitrite (NO 2− ), and nitrate (NO 3− ). In a process called nitrification, or…

What is the process of decomposition of ammonia?

The remains of all living things—and their waste products—are decomposed by microorganisms in the process of ammonification, which yields ammonia (NH 3) and ammonium (NH 4 +). (Under anaerobic, or oxygen-free, conditions, foul-smelling putrefactive products may appear, but they too are converted to ammonia in time.) Ammonia can leave the soil or be converted into other nitrogen compounds, depending in part on soil conditions.

What is Nitrogen Cycle?

The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process through which Nitrogen passes and gets converted to a variety of forms, Nitrogen moves from soil to plant to animal and then back to soil and atmosphere in different consecutive processes.

What is nitrogen fixation?

Nitrogen fixation is a beautiful process of converting atmospheric Nitrogen into usable Nitrogen compounds like ammonia, nitrates and nitrites with the help of some natural processes or in industries. A natural process for nitrogen fixation is done by some special kinds of bacteria like blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria), Anabaena, and Nostoc; and genera such as Azotobacter, Beijerinckia, and Clostridium; and mutualistic bacteria such as Rhizobium which takes atmospheric Nitrogen and converts it into nitrogen oxides which are further absorbed into the soil.

How is nitrogen prepared?

Nitrogen gas can be prepared by thermal decomposition of ammonium dichromate. Ammonium dichromate can be freshly prepared by reacting ammonium chloride with potassium dichromate.

What is the main component of explosives?

Nitrogen is the main component of explosives like TNT (Trinitrotoluene) and gunpowder, which has potassium nitrate in it as an essential component. Also, nitroglycerine is one of the dangerous explosives prepared by Nitrogen .

Why is nitrogen added to oxygen tanks?

Nitrogen is added in oxygen tanks while scuba diving to avoid narcosis which can be life endangering.

What is the most abundant gas in the atmosphere?

Nitrogen gas is the most abundant gas present in the atmosphere and a significant contributor to life on this planet. It is almost an inert gas and does not react quickly, but how does a very less reactive gas like Nitrogen create opportunity for life on Earth? Or what will happen if Nitrogen goes out of stock?

Why is nitrogen important in our daily life?

It is because of Nitrogen we are having plenty of food on our tables as it is used to produce fertilisers to increase the production of crops to meet the ever-rising demand for food by the growing population of humans. So the reason behind increased production of the crop is a gift to us by Nitrogen, which helps plants to increase their rate of growth.

image

Overview

The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine ecosystems. The conversion of nitrogen can be carried out through both biological and physical processes. Important processes in the nitrogen cycle include fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. The majority of Earth's …

Processes

Nitrogen is present in the environment in a wide variety of chemical forms including organic nitrogen, ammonium (NH+4), nitrite (NO−2), nitrate (NO−3), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitric oxide (NO) or inorganic nitrogen gas (N2). Organic nitrogen may be in the form of a living organism, humus or in the intermediate products of organic matter decomposition. The processes in the nitrogen cycl…

Marine nitrogen cycle

The nitrogen cycle is an important process in the ocean as well. While the overall cycle is similar, there are different players and modes of transfer for nitrogen in the ocean. Nitrogen enters the water through the precipitation, runoff, or as N 2 from the atmosphere. Nitrogen cannot be utilized by phytoplankton as N 2 so it must undergo nitrogen fixation which is performed …

Human influences on the nitrogen cycle

As a result of extensive cultivation of legumes (particularly soy, alfalfa, and clover), growing use of the Haber–Bosch process in the creation of chemical fertilizers, and pollution emitted by vehicles and industrial plants, human beings have more than doubled the annual transfer of nitrogen into biologically available forms. In addition, humans have significantly contributed to the transfer of nitrogen trac…

Consequence of human modification of the nitrogen cycle

Increasing levels of nitrogen deposition are shown to have a number of negative effects on both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Nitrogen gases and aerosols can be directly toxic to certain plant species, affecting the aboveground physiology and growth of plants near large point sources of nitrogen pollution. Changes to plant species may also occur, as accumulation of nitrogen compounds increase its availability in a given ecosystem, eventually changing the species comp…

See also

• Planetary boundaries – Limits not to be exceeded if humanity wants to survive in a safe ecosystem
• Phosphorus cycle – Biogeochemical movement

1.Nitrogen Cycle Explained - Definition, Stages and …

Url:https://byjus.com/biology/nitrogen-cycle/

2 hours ago  · 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 …

2.Nitrogen cycle Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster

Url:https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nitrogen%20cycle

25 hours ago  · Medical Definition of nitrogen cycle. : a continuous series of natural processes by which nitrogen passes through successive stations in air, soil, and organisms and which …

3.Videos of What Is Nitrogen Cycle Short Definition

Url:/videos/search?q=what+is+nitrogen+cycle+short+definition&qpvt=what+is+nitrogen+cycle+short+definition&FORM=VDRE

18 hours ago  · Simply put, you can explain the nitrogen cycle as the circulation of nitrogen elements through living things and non-living environments. It is a biogeochemical cycle …

4.Nitrogen cycle - Wikipedia

Url:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitrogen_cycle

11 hours ago  · The nitrogen cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which nitrogen is converted into multiple chemical forms as it circulates among atmosphere, terrestrial, and marine …

5.nitrogen cycle | Definition & Steps | Britannica

Url:https://www.britannica.com/science/nitrogen-cycle

26 hours ago The nitrogen cycle is a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria. In order …

6.What is Nitrogen?: Definition, Formula, Cycle, Fixation

Url:https://www.embibe.com/exams/nitrogen/

19 hours ago The nitrogen cycle is a repeating cycle of processes during which nitrogen moves through both living and non-living things: the atmosphere, soil, water, plants, animals and bacteria. In order …

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9