Question

I need to know all the terms used when talking about the nitrogen cycle....i.e. Fixation, Dentrification ect, what are they all and what do they all mean??

Answer 1

Fixation: The nitrogen molecule (N2) is quite inert. To break it apart so that its atoms can combine with other atoms requires the input of substantial amounts of energy.

Answer 2

most fixation is done by free-living or symbiotic bacteria. These bacteria have the nitrogenase enzyme that combines gaseous nitrogen with hydrogen to produce ammonia, which is then further converted by the bacteria to make their own organic compounds

Answer 3

Some nitrogen fixing bacteria, such as Rhizobium, live in the root nodules of legumes (such as peas or beans).

Answer 4

Nitrification: The conversion of ammonium to nitrate is performed primarily by soil-living bacteria and other nitrifying bacteria. The primary stage of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonium (NH4+) is performed by bacteria such as the Nitrosomonas species, which converts ammonia to nitrites (NO2-). Other bacterial species, such as the Nitrobacter, are responsible for the oxidation of the nitrites into nitrates (NO3-).[2]It is important for the nitrites to be converted to nitrates because accumulated nitrites are toxic to plant life.
Denitrification : Denitrification is the reduction of nitrates back into the largely inert nitrogen gas (N2), completing the nitrogen cycle. This process is performed by bacterial species such as Pseudomonas and Clostridium in anaerobic conditions.[2] They use the nitrate as an electron acceptor in the place of oxygen during respiration. These facultatively anaerobic bacteria can also live in aerobic conditions.

Answer 5

:D