NITROGEN CYCLE

Nitrogen cycle
• The nitrogen cycle is a
biogeochemical process
that converts the
unusable nitrogen in the
atmosphere into forms
that plants and animals
can utilize.
What is Nitrogen
Nitrogen is an essential component of amino acids,
proteins, and DNA, making it fundamental for life. Yet,
despite making up approximately 78% of Earth’s
atmosphere, atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is not directly
usable by most living organisms.
Stages of
Nitrogen
Cycle:
1. Nitrogen fixation
• 2. Nitrification
• 3. Assimilation
• 4. Ammonification
• 5. Denitrification
Nitrogen fixation
Nitrogen fixation
converts or ‘fixes’
nitrogen into a form
organisms can use. It is
the conversion of
atmospheric nitrogen (N2)
into ammonia (NH3) or
related nitrogenous
compounds, which are
assimilated by plants and
subsequently enter the food
chain.
Why Is Nitrogen Fixation
Important?
• Even though nitrogen is abundant in the atmosphere, its triple bond makes
it chemically stable and challenging for most organisms to utilize.
• Only specific bacteria and certain processes break this bond and ‘fix’
nitrogen into a biologically usable form. So, the primary importance of
nitrogen fixation is that it converts nitrogen into a form humans, other
animals, plants, and other organisms use.
• Nitrogen is essential in proteins, nucleic acids, and other molecules.
Bioavailability: Most organisms cannot directly use atmospheric nitrogen.
• Nitrogen fixation converts it into compounds like ammonia, which plants
can absorb and utilize. Animals get their nitrogen by eating plants or by
eating other animals.
• In natural ecosystems, the availability of fixed nitrogen often limits plant
growth. Nitrogen-fixing organisms thus play a key role in maintaining soil
fertility.
Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria
Bacteria (cyanobacteria or blue-
green algae, green sulfur bacteria,
purple sulfur bacteria, and
anaerobic or methanogenic
bacteria) and archaea achieve most
of the biological nitrogen fixation.
The bacteria are either free-living in
soil or in a symbiotic relationships
with plants or lichens.
Free-living Bacteria: Examples
include Azotobacter and
Clostridium. They fix nitrogen
without forming symbiotic
relationships.
Symbiotic Bacteria: Symbiotic bacteria form mutually
beneficial associations with plants, ensuring a continuous
supply of nutrients. The bacteria fix nitrogen, providing
the plant with essential nutrients. In return, the plant
supplies the bacteria with sugars and other organic
compounds.

The overall chemical reaction for biological

nitrogen fixation is:
N2 + 16 ATP + 16 H2O + 8 e– → 2NH3 + H2 + 16 ADP + 16
Pi
Types of nitrogen fixation

A. Atmospheric fixation involves the

natural process wherein lightning energy
breaks nitrogen into nitrogen oxides,
which plants utilize.
B. Industrial nitrogen fixation is a
human-created method utilizing
ammonia produced from the direct
combination of nitrogen and hydrogen,
eventually converted into fertilizers like
urea.
C. Biological nitrogen fixation is when
organisms such as Rhizobium bacteria
and blue-green algae convert
atmospheric nitrogen into more usable
compounds for plants and animals,
enriching the soil with these nitrogen
compounds.
Nitrification

• Nitrification is the natural

process carried out by nitrifying
bacteria. It is an essential step
in the nitrogen cycle in soil.
• Nitrification is the natural
process that occurs in the
environment by specialised
autotrophic bacteria. During
this aerobic process, ammonia
is converted to nitrites (NO2-)
and then nitrates (NO3-).
Process of Nitrification

• Nitrification entails a microbial process conducted by

Nitrosomonas, where reduced nitrogen compounds are
progressively oxidized to nitrite and nitrate.
• Autotrophic nitrifying bacteria, predominantly soil-
dwelling microbes, facilitate the conversion of ammonia
into nitrate. Among various genera, Nitrosomonas,
Nitrosococcus, and Nitrosospira are prominently
recognized for spearheading the initial phase of
Nitrification.
• Nitrosomonas
- group of specialised gram-negative, rod-shaped
chemoautotrophic bactertia
- a rod-shaped genus of gram-negative, chemoautotrophic
bacteria. These bacteria are involved in converting ammonia
into nitrates.
• Nitrosococcus
-is a genus of Gram-
negative bacteria. It is an
ammonia-oxidizing
bacterium which oxidizes
ammonia into nitrite.
Nitrosococcus can be found
in marine environments and
salt lakes.
• Nitrosospira
- these species are well-
known nitrogen fixers,
improves soil fertility for
sustainable agriculture.
Step – 1
In the initial stage of Nitrification, ammonia is oxidised to nitrite in the
presence of ammonia-oxidising bacteria. The reaction is as follows:
Ammonia (NH3) + Oxygen (O2) → Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)- + 3
molecules of Hydrogen (3H+) + 2 electrons
Step – 2
In the second stage of Nitrification, nitrite is oxidised to nitrate in the
presence of nitrite-oxidising bacteria. The reaction is as follows:
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)- + Water (H2O) → Nitrate (NO3)- + 2
molecules of Hydrogen (2H+) + 2 electrons

*Nitrobacter is the commonly distinguished genus, which plays an

essential role in this second step of Nitrification. Other genera,
including Nitrospina, Nitrospira and Nitrococcus, can also oxidise
nitrite autotrophically.
Factors Affecting the Nitrification Process

• pH
• Temperature
• Loading rate
• Type of the media
• Depth of the filter
• Dissolved oxygen
• Presence of inhibitors
• Wastewater BOD -Biochemical Oxygen Demand
Assimilation
• It is the process by which nitrate and ammonia are
utilized to form organic compounds.
• Plants absorb nitrogen from the soil in the form of
nitrates and ammonium ions, utilizing specific
transporters.
• Nitrate is transported to leaves, where it's reduced to
ammonia, further incorporated into amino acids.
The synthesis of amino acids from NH4+
takes place by two main pathways:
• Reductive Amination: Reductive amination is a
chemical process where an amine group (NH2) is
added to a carbonyl compound, typically an
aldehyde or a ketone, to form an amine.
• Transamination: Transamination is a
biochemical process where the amino group (-
NH2) from one amino acid is transferred to a
keto acid, resulting in the formation of a new
amino acid and a new keto acid.
Ammonification
• It is the process by which decomposition
of dead and decaying organic matter
leads to the formation of ammonia.
• Ammonification is vital for providing
essential nitrogen to organisms. It
involves decomposers breaking down
nitrogen-containing compounds into
ammonia, sustaining ecosystems.
• It converts organic nitrogen into
inorganic ammonia, crucial for plant
growth and the food chain.
• Ammonifying bacteria like bacillus,
proteus, and pseudomonas are
examples of organisms facilitating
Denitrification
• It is the process by which nitrate in the soil also gets
converted back to nitrogen.
• Bacteria like Pseudomonas and Thiobacillus carry out
denitrification.
How does denitrification occur?
Denitrification is a microbial process where soil bacteria,
such as Thiobacillus species and Pseudomonas, break
down nitrate compounds into nitrous oxide (N2O) and
nitrogen gas (N2) in the absence of oxygen. The process
involves a range of microorganisms, making it a microbial
process.
Where does denitrification occur?
It occurs in terrestrial and aquatic environments,
managed ecosystems, wastewater treatment plants, and
more. It's a universal process responding to oxygen
concentration changes.
Why does denitrification occur?
Denitrification occurs when oxygen becomes limited in
the soil, prompting bacteria to use nitrate instead of
oxygen for respiration. It’s particularly active in wet or
waterlogged soils with limited oxygen supply.
When does the Denitrification process occur?
Denitrification is more active in soils with over 60%
water-filled pore space. Microbes convert nitrate to
dinitrogen (N2) gas as oxygen deficiency increases,
impacting both nutrient management and atmospheric
conditions.
Factors affecting the
denitrification process:
• Soil organic content: Bacteria rely on organic
matter as a nutrition source.
• Soil pH, texture, and temperature.
• Oxygen and moisture content in the soil.
• Concentration of nitrate in the soil.
Denitrification process:
Nitrate → Nitric Oxide → Nitrous oxide →
Nitrogen gas
Nitrogen cycle summary:
I. Nitrogen Fixation: Nitrogen gas (N2) from the atmosphere is converted
into ammonia (NH3) or ammonium ions (NH4+) by nitrogen-fixing bacteria
found in soil or symbiotic relationships with certain plants.
II. Nitrification: Ammonia and ammonium ions are converted into nitrites
(NO2-) and then into nitrates (NO3-) by nitrifying bacteria (Nitrosomonas
and Nitrobacter).
III. Assimilation: Plants and other organisms absorb nitrates and ammonia
from the soil to synthesize proteins and nucleic acids, incorporating
nitrogen into their cellular structures.
IV. Ammonification: Decomposers break down organic matter, releasing
ammonia back into the soil as a byproduct of the decomposition process.
V. Denitrification: Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates in the soil back into
nitrogen gas (N2), which is released back into the atmosphere, completing
the cycle.