1 / 14

Nitrogen Cycle

N2. Nitrogen Cycle. What is the NITROGEN CYCLE ? The atoms of nitrogen moves from the atmosphere to the soil, through plants and animals, and back into the atmosphere. Nitrogen in the Atmosphere. Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the atmosphere.

dinos
Télécharger la présentation

Nitrogen Cycle

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. N2

  2. Nitrogen Cycle • What is the NITROGEN CYCLE? • The atoms of nitrogen moves from the atmosphere to the soil, through plants and animals, and back into the atmosphere.

  3. Nitrogen in the Atmosphere • Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the atmosphere. • The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%), and other gases (1%) that surround Earth.

  4. Nitrogen Cycle • What is the purpose of NITROGEN to our ecosystems and planet? • Nitrogen is the basic building blocks for: • Nucleotides of DNA and RNA • Amino Acids in Proteins.

  5. Nitrogen in the Atmosphere • Free Nitrogen: atoms of nitrogen are found in Earth’s atmosphere bonded in pairs – N2

  6. Nitrogen in the Soil • *N2is unusable to plants and animals. • When the N2 bonds are broken the nitrogen atoms are “free” to bond with other elements forming nitrogen compounds. • Primary compounds are NH3and NH4 • This process is called Nitrogen Fixation.

  7. Nitrogen in the Soil • NITRITES (NO2)- AND NITRATES (NO3)- • Special bacteria can convert NH3 and NH4 into nitrites and nitrates. • Some of this bacteria is located in the soil • Some of this bacteria is located in the roots of LEGUMES Examples of Legumes: Soybeans, Alfalpha, Peas, Clover, and Peanuts.

  8. Plants LOVE Nitrates! • Plants use nitrates to form proteins which promote healthy growth. • Not enough nitrates can stunt growth • Too much can burn plants and cause other environmental problems.

  9. Nitrogen and Decomposers • Animals and Plants die and the decaying process puts more NH3 and NH4 into the soil. DECOMPOSERS convert organic material into many substances including NH3 and NH4 Examples of DECOMPOSERS: Fungi, aerobic and anaerobic bacteria

  10. Nitrogen in Animals and Plants • Animals get the nitrogen they need by eating plants or other animals that contain nitrogen. • Most plants get the nitrogen they need to grow from the soils or water in which they live.

  11. Nitrogen in the Soil and Water • Other types of bacteria are able to change nitrogen dissolved in waterways into a form that allows it to return to the atmosphere.

  12. Human Effect on the Nitrogen Cycle • Certain actions of humans are causing changes to the nitrogen cycle and the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the land, water, air, and organisms. The use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers can add too much nitrogen in nearby waterways as the fertilizer washes into streams and ponds. The waste associated with livestock farming also adds large amounts of nitrogen into soil and water. The increased nitrate levels cause plants to grow rapidly until they use up the supply and die. The number of plant-eating animals will increase when the plant supply increases and then the animals are left without any food when the plants die.

  13. The Nitrogen Cycle Nitrogen is an element. It is found in living things like plants and animals. It is also an important part of non-living things like the air above and the dirt below. Atoms of nitrogen don't just stay in one place. They move slowly between living things, dead things, the air, soil and water. These movements are called the nitrogen cycle. Most of the nitrogen on Earth is in the atmosphere. Approximately 80% of the molecules in Earth's atmosphere are made of two nitrogen atoms bonded together (N2). All plants and animals need nitrogen to make amino acids, proteins and DNA, but the nitrogen in the atmosphere is not in a form that they can use. The molecules of nitrogen in the atmosphere can become usable for living things when they are broken apart during lightning strikes or fires, by certain types of bacteria, or by bacteria associated with bean plants. Most plants get the nitrogen they need to grow from the soils or water in which they live. Animals get the nitrogen they need by eating plants or other animals that contain nitrogen. When organisms die, their bodies decompose bringing the nitrogen into soil on land or into ocean water. Bacteria alter the nitrogen into a form that plants are able to use. Other types of bacteria are able to change nitrogen dissolved in waterways into a form that allows it to return to the atmosphere. Certain actions of humans are causing changes to the nitrogen cycle and the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the land, water, air, and organisms. The use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers can add too much nitrogen in nearby waterways as the fertilizer washes into streams and ponds. The waste associated with livestock farming also adds large amounts of nitrogen into soil and water. The increased nitrate levels cause plants to grow rapidly until they use up the supply and die. The number of plant-eating animals will increase when the plant supply increases and then the animals are left without any food when the plants die. Last modified May 7, 2007 by Lisa Gardiner.

  14. Lightning converts some atmospheric nitrogen into nitrates that organisms can use. Atmospheric nitrogen, N2 Runoff Nitrogen-fixing bacteria in soil and root nodules produce ammonia, NH . Aquatic bacteria also process nitrogen. Bacteria in soil and water add nitrogen to the atmosphere.

More Related