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What is the largest source of nitrogen in the environment?
What is the largest source of nitrogen in the environment?
The atmosphere
What are the building blocks of all proteins?
What are the building blocks of all proteins?
What is the form of nitrogen that most living organisms are unable to use directly from the atmosphere?
What is the form of nitrogen that most living organisms are unable to use directly from the atmosphere?
What are the forms of nitrogen that can be easily metabolized to make DNA and proteins?
What are the forms of nitrogen that can be easily metabolized to make DNA and proteins?
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The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process that involves the conversion of nitrogen into many forms.
The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process that involves the conversion of nitrogen into many forms.
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The nitrogen fixation process converts N2 into nitrates (NO3-) which can easily be metabolized by living organisms.
The nitrogen fixation process converts N2 into nitrates (NO3-) which can easily be metabolized by living organisms.
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Denitrification is an aerobic process that releases nitrogen gas (N2) back into the atmosphere.
Denitrification is an aerobic process that releases nitrogen gas (N2) back into the atmosphere.
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Nitrification is important in many living organisms as it is the only process for obtaining nitrogen.
Nitrification is important in many living organisms as it is the only process for obtaining nitrogen.
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What is the name of the process that converts ammonium (NH3) into nitrate (NO3-)?
What is the name of the process that converts ammonium (NH3) into nitrate (NO3-)?
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What are the bacteria that carry out nitrification called?
What are the bacteria that carry out nitrification called?
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What are nitrifiers classified as?
What are nitrifiers classified as?
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Nitrification is a two-step process involving the oxidation of ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate.
Nitrification is a two-step process involving the oxidation of ammonia into nitrite and then nitrite into nitrate.
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Study Notes
Introduction
- The nitrogen cycle is a biogeochemical process converting nitrogen into various forms.
Nitrogen Cycle Overview
- Nitrogen is important for creating proteins and amino acids, essential for all living organisms.
- Most organisms cannot use atmospheric nitrogen (N2). It needs to be converted into other forms.
- Key processes in the nitrogen cycle include nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification.
Atmospheric composition
- Nitrogen (N2) makes up about 78% of the atmosphere.
Where N is Found in the Environment
- The largest source of nitrogen is the atmosphere.
Why Nitrogen is Important
- Required to make proteins.
- Proteins form structures (muscles, organs), enzymes, and hormones.
- Most organisms cannot utilize atmospheric N2, requiring transformations for use. This ensures nitrogen availability in the ecosystem.
How to Adjust a Reaction
- Steps to adjust chemical equations, balancing elements and electrons
Where does Nitrogen come from?
- Lightning, atmospheric gases, precipitation, fertilizers, and the loss of gaseous atmospheric nitrogen
- Eutrophication is the result of high nutrient load from fertilizers, other pollutants entering rivers or lakes. This contributes to aquatic plants growing excessively leading to oxygen depletion affecting all aquatic organisms.
Why is it necessary to treat Nitrogen?
- Nitrogen is potentially toxic to aquatic life.
- Eutrophication occurs when excess N causes excessive plant growth, depleting oxygen.
- Methemoglobinemia, or "blue baby syndrome," is a serious health condition caused by high nitrate levels in drinking water.
Ammonification
- Fungi and prokaryotes decompose organic/microbial/animal biomass and excreted nitrogen compounds into ammonia. This process recycles nitrogen.
- Ammonia is found in wastewater from human excretion (urea) and is rapidly converted to ammonium.
Nitrification
- Converts ammonia (NH3) to nitrate (NO3-). A two-step process:
- Step 1: Ammonia oxidation to nitrite (NO2-) by bacteria like Nitrosomonas.
- Step 2: Nitrite oxidation to nitrate (NO3-) by bacteria like Nitrobacter.
- Important for making nitrogen accessible to plants.
Nitrification Key Concepts
- Nitrification is important for many organisms as it's the only way for them to get nitrogen.
- Ammonia is converted into nitrates which are more soluble, readily absorbed by the organism.
- Ammonia used as fertilizer is converted to nitrate which facilitates nitrogen leaching into plants.
Denitrification
- Converts nitrate (NO3-) to nitrogen gas (N2) in anoxic (low oxygen) environments.
- Denitrifiers use nitrate as an electron acceptor and convert it to nitrogen gas.
- Important to release nitrogen back into the atmosphere completing the cycle.
Denitrification Energy Reaction
- Denitrification energy reaction equations for varied organic matter (e.g., methanol, acetate, ethanol).
Denitrification Synthesis Reaction
- Shows the synthesis reactions for denitrification equations using diverse organic matter.
Anammox process
- Anammox is anaerobic ammonium oxidation.
- Microorganisms from the phylum Planctomycetes perform anammox.
- This process converts ammonia to nitrogen gas.
Nitrification-denitrification Key Concepts
- Wastewater nitrogen removal.
- Converting ammoniacal N & organic N to NO3−.
- Converting nitrate to N2 (gas) under anoxic conditions.
- The overall result is a loss of the initial nitrogen in the water.
Key Terms
- Oxidation/reduction reactions.
- Reductants, oxidants
- Aerobic/anaerobic processes.
- Autotrophs/heterotrophs.
- Nitrogen fixation.
- Eutrophication.
- Methemoglobinemia.
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Description
Explore the essential processes of the nitrogen cycle, including nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. Understand the significance of nitrogen for living organisms and its transformation from atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into usable forms. This quiz will enhance your understanding of biogeochemical cycles and their role in ecosystems.
