Name: nitrogen in soil and living things
Uploaded: 2019-03-11T09:21:40.000Z
Duration: 1 min 49 s
Channel: JoVE

K12 Standards

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North Carolina K-12 Science Standard Course of Study

9-12

Biology

ecosystems-interactions-energy-and-dynamics

Ecosystems- Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS.Bio.4.1

The Nitrogen Cycle

The nitrogen cycle involves the movement of nitrogen atoms between biotic and abiotic components in the ecosystem.

Most of the ecosystem&#39;s nitrogen is stored in the atmosphere as a gas, N2. But only bacteria posses the necessary enzymes to convert nitrogen gas into a usable form by other organisms, a term called nitrogen fixation. Therefore nitrogen is a very limited nutrient in the ecosystem.

Once bacteria in the soil convert the gas into ammonia, plants can the convert the nitrogen into proteins, DNA, and other organic molecules, which are consumed by herbivores and broken down into amino acids.

These can be reassembled into usable proteins for growth and development and for nutrition for consumers. Simultaneously, herbivores and consumers are returning some nitrogen back to the soil as waste products.

Both dead organisms and waste products contain nitrogen in the form of protein, urea, and uric acid. Decomposers like bacteria and fungi can break down these molecules releasing ammonia back into soil, which can be absorbed by plants or converted into nitrates by nitrifying bacteria.

These nitrates can also be either absorbed by plants or in the absence of oxygen be converted into nitrogen gas by denitrifying bacteria.

Human also input nitrogen into the ecosystem through the use of agricultural fertilizers. However, when used at the wrong time or in large quantities, excess nitrogen can flow into aquatic ecosystems and increase growth of bacteria, algae, and aquatic plants, a process called eutrophication.

the nitrogen cycle

Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the natural nitrogen cycle.

<h4>Biological Nitrogen Cycle</h4>

About 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen gas. However, in this form, N2, few organisms are able to use it. Nitrogen makes up essential molecules in all organisms, like proteins and DNA. Unable to use the atmospheric form of nitrogen, most organisms use the byproducts of nitrogen-fixing and nitrifying prokaryotes. Nitrogen fixation converts nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3), whereas nitrification converts NH3 into nitrites (NO2-) and nitrates (NO3-). Plants can directly use the ammonia and nitrates, and plant-eating organisms obtain nitrogen by ingesting plants. When these organisms die, bacteria in the soil are able to convert the organic nitrogen into ammonia in a process called ammonification. Through denitrification, aerobic bacteria can then convert ammonia into nitrogen gas that is released back into the atmosphere, completing the cycle.

<h4>Nitrogen Sinks</h4>

The primary reservoir for long-term storage of nitrogen is nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. However, there are other, smaller nitrogen sinks in the ecosystem. Nitrogen can be tied up for relatively long periods of time in swamps, marine sediments, and sedimentary rock. However, since nitrogen compounds are very soluble in water, weathering of sedimentary rock can release nitrogen back into the ecosystem.

<h4>Human Impacts on the Nitrogen Cycle</h4>

Since nitrogen is often a limiting factor for plant growth in natural environments, farmers add nitrogen to the soil as fertilizer to increase agricultural yield. Agricultural runoff into aquatic ecosystems can result in eutrophication and unnaturally rapid growth of toxic algae species. Raising large numbers of livestock can also increase the amount of nitric waste in the soil and in local water sources.

Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of ...

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KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

nitrogen in soil and living things

Nitrogen in soil and living things moves through ecosystems in several forms. Nitrogen atoms are found in proteins and DNA. Most animals and plants cannot use nitrogen gas, which is the main form of nitrogen on Earth. Nitrogen must first be changed into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can move through food webs.

About 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen gas, but few organisms can use it in that form. Nitrogen fixation changes nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3). Nitrification then changes ammonia into nitrites (NO2-) and nitrates (NO3-). Plants can use ammonia and nitrates directly. Plant-eating organisms get nitrogen by eating plants.

When organisms die, soil bacteria break down organic nitrogen and convert it into ammonia. This process is called ammonification. Aerobic bacteria can then carry out denitrification and convert ammonia into nitrogen gas that returns to the atmosphere. That return of nitrogen gas completes the cycle.

The main long-term reservoir for nitrogen is nitrogen gas in the atmosphere. Smaller nitrogen sinks also store nitrogen for long periods. These include swamps, marine sediments, and sedimentary rock. Because nitrogen compounds dissolve easily in water, weathering of sedimentary rock can release nitrogen back into the ecosystem.

Human activity can change the nitrogen cycle. Farmers add nitrogen to soil as fertilizer because nitrogen is often a limiting factor for plant growth in natural environments. This can increase agricultural yield. However, runoff from farms can enter aquatic ecosystems and cause eutrophication, which leads to unnaturally rapid growth of toxic algae species. Large numbers of livestock can also increase the amount of nitric waste in soil and local water sources.

Nitrogen in Soil and Living Things

what is an ecosystem?

Ecosystem Zones and Climate

Ecosystems are shaped by living and nonliving parts of an environment, and they can be grouped as terrestrial or aquatic. Terrestrial ecosystems depend on climate. Aquatic ecosystems are divided into freshwater and marine systems, and depth affects water temperature and how much sunlight reaches the water. Terrestrial ecosystems are called biomes. A biome is defined by climate and by the organisms that live there. Near the equator, rainforests have high, aseasonal temperatures and high annual...

trophic levels

Food Chains and Energy Flow

Food chains show how energy and nutrients move through an ecosystem. Each organism holds a trophic level, or a specific place in that chain. The lowest level includes primary producers, which make their own food using energy from the sun or from chemicals. Organisms at the next levels are heterotrophs, which get energy from other organisms below them. Primary consumers are herbivores, and they feed on autotrophs, also called primary producers. Secondary and tertiary consumers are carnivores...

primary production

GPP, NPP, and Ecosystem Energy

Gross primary production and net primary production describe how energy enters and moves through ecosystems. Primary producers, or autotrophs, make their own food. They can do this by photosynthesis or chemosynthesis, and they can also gain energy by consuming other organisms. The rate at which producers capture and store this energy is called gross primary production, or GPP. Not all of the energy in GPP stays available to the rest of the ecosystem. Primary producers use some energy for...

production efficiency

Energy Transfer as Biomass Efficiency

Net production efficiency shows how much energy organisms turn into biomass for the next trophic level. It focuses on the usable energy stored in body tissue, not the energy lost as heat or excreted wastes. This makes it a key idea for understanding energy flow through ecosystems. As energy moves from one organism to the next, only biomass can serve as food for the next trophic level. The rest of the energy is used in metabolism and is lost over time. Net production efficiency, or NPE, is the...

trophic efficiency

Energy Loss in Food Chains

Trophic level transfer efficiency describes how much energy moves from one level of a food chain to the next. It shows why energy drops sharply as organisms eat and are eaten. In most ecosystems, only about 10% of the energy passes on. This energy loss follows the second law of thermodynamics. In living systems, much of the energy is lost as metabolic heat during respiration. Trophic level transfer efficiency, or TLTE, measures this transfer by comparing the energy produced at one trophic...

what are biogeochemical cycles?

Nutrient Recycling in Ecosystems

Nutrient recycling in ecosystems keeps the elements needed for life moving through living and nonliving parts of the environment. Elements such as water, carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are present in limited amounts, so they must be conserved and reused. These movements are called biogeochemical cycles. These nutrients can exist in several chemical forms. They may spend long periods in the atmosphere, on land, under the land, or in aquatic environments. Decomposition is a key part of...

the water cycle

Water Movement Through Earth Systems

Water movement through Earth systems connects the hydrosphere, the atmosphere, the land, and living things. The hydrosphere includes every place where water is stored or moves. Because water supports living processes, its movement is important for ecosystem dynamics. The cycle starts when the sun warms surface water on land and in the oceans. That water evaporates and enters the atmosphere as vapor. Water can also move into the air by sublimation, which is ice changing directly into vapor, and...

the carbon cycle

Carbon Movement in Living Systems

Carbon moves through living systems and Earth over short and long time scales. It is the basis of all organic matter on Earth, and it cycles through ecosystems by passing between organisms and by moving through rocks, oceans, and the atmosphere. Human activities, including farming and burning fossil fuels, have changed this balance. In the biological carbon cycle, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere reacts with water to form bicarbonate. Primary producers, or autotrophs, use carbon dioxide and...

Nitrogen in soil and living things moves through ecosystems in several forms. Nitrogen atoms are found in proteins and DNA. Most animals and plants cannot use nitrogen gas, which is the main form of nitrogen on Earth. Nitrogen must first be changed into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can move through food webs. About 78% of the air we breathe is nitrogen gas, but few organisms can use it in that form. Nitrogen fixation changes nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3).

the phosphorus cycle

Phosphorus Movement in Soil and Water

Phosphorus moves through ecosystems mostly as phosphate ions in soil, water, sediment, and rocks. Unlike carbon, water, and nitrogen, it is not found in the atmosphere as a gas. It is also often a limiting nutrient, which means it is in short supply in many environments. Phosphorus is important in DNA, cell membranes, bones, and teeth. It is found in minerals, sediment, volcanic ash, and aerosols. As rocks and sediment weather over time, they release inorganic phosphate. That phosphate then...

the sulfur cycle

Sulfur in Ecosystems and Acid Rain

Sulfur moves through ecosystems as part of the chemical cycle that supports life. It is an important element in proteins and in amino acids such as cysteine, which helps give proteins their structure. On land, sulfur reaches ecosystems in several ways. Weak sulfuric acid can fall with precipitation, sulfur can drop directly from the atmosphere, rocks can weather and release sulfur, and geothermal vents can add it as well. Plants and microorganisms take sulfur up from the soil and change it...

bioremediation

Bioremediation in Soil and Oil Cleanup

Bioremediation uses prokaryotes, fungi, or plants to remove pollutants from the environment. It is a practical way to reduce harmful chemicals in contaminated soil and water. In agriculture, fertilizers and pesticides can leach into groundwater, streams, and lakes. Microbes and bacteria can help break down these toxins. One example is atrazine, an environmental toxin found in many fertilizers, which can be removed from soils by the bacterial species Rhizobium and Tricoderma sp. Bioremediation...

key terms and concepts

Follow nitrogen as it moves from air to soil, plants, and animals, and see how bacteria, fertilizers, and runoff shape the cycle in ecosystems.

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LS.Bio.5.2

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Nitrogen in Soil and Living Things

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