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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.
Approximately 78% of Earth's atmosphere is N gas (N 2), which is an inert compound and biologically unavailable to most organisms.In order to be utilized in most biological processes, N 2 must be converted to reactive nitrogen (Nr), which includes inorganic reduced forms (NH 3 and NH 4 +), inorganic oxidized forms (NO, NO 2, HNO 3, N 2 O, and NO 3 −), and organic compounds (urea, amines, and ...
The nitrogen cycle is one of the Earth's biogeochemical cycles. It involves the conversion of nitrogen into different chemical forms. The main processes of the nitrogen cycle are the fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. As one of the macronutrients, nitrogen plays an important role in plant growth.
An example chemical cycle, a schematic representation of a Nitrogen cycle on Earth. This process results in the continual recycling of nitrogen gas involving the ocean. Chemical cycling describes systems of repeated circulation of chemicals between other compounds, states and materials, and back to their original state, that occurs in space ...
Nitrogen cycle. Nitrification is the biological oxidation of ammonia to nitrate via the intermediary nitrite. Nitrification is an important step in the nitrogen cycle in soil. The process of complete nitrification may occur through separate organisms [1] or entirely within one organism, as in comammox bacteria. The transformation of ammonia to ...
In 2015 the presence of microorganisms that could carry out both conversion processes was discovered within the genus Nitrospira, and the nitrogen cycle was updated. [ 4 ] [ 5 ] Within the genus Nitrospira, the major ecosystems comammox are primarily found in natural aquifers and engineered ecosystems.
Nitrogen enters the ocean through 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 predominantly by cyanobacteria. [82] Without supplies of fixed nitrogen entering the marine cycle, the fixed nitrogen would be used up in about 2000 ...
The lighter isotope of nitrogen, 14 N, is preferred during denitrification, leaving the heavier nitrogen isotope, 15 N, in the residual matter. This selectivity leads to the enrichment of 14 N in the biomass compared to 15 N. [ 27 ] Moreover, the relative abundance of 14 N can be analyzed to distinguish denitrification apart from other ...