Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
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 ...
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 ...
Nitrification. 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.
Anammox, an abbreviation for "anaerobic ammonium oxidation", is a globally important microbial process of the nitrogen cycle [ 1 ] that takes place in many natural environments. The bacteria mediating this process were identified in 1999, and were a great surprise for the scientific community. [ 2 ] In the anammox reaction, nitrite and ammonium ...
Lichens are symbiotic organisms that play an important role in the biogeochemical cycle on Earth. The characteristics of lichens, such as strong resistance to factors such as desiccation, ability to grow and break down rocks allow lichen to grow in different types of environment including highly nitrogen limited area such as subarctic heath.
The most common denitrification process is outlined below, with the nitrogen oxides being converted back to gaseous nitrogen: 2 NO 3 − + 10 e − + 12 H + → N 2 + 6 H 2 O. The result is one molecule of nitrogen and six molecules of water. Denitrifying bacteria are a part of the N cycle, and consists of sending the N back into the atmosphere.
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, and on many objects in space including the Earth. Active chemical cycling is known to ...
The nitrogen cycle in an aquarium. Fishless cycling takes place over a period of several weeks, during which the aquarist provides an ammonia source for the development of the nitrifying bacterial colony. Nitrifying bacteria in the aquarium grow on all surfaces, but particularly in areas of high water flow and high surface area such as the filter.