The Nitrogen Cycle

We all know that Nitrogen constitutes approximately 70% of Earths atmosphere.

Did you know that it's very important in our everyday lives and a key part of proteins?

Nitrogen is an INERT gas so fundamentally it's unreactive and not necessarily a danger to us.

However, without it, our way of life would cease to be.

I'm going to start with how Nitrogen gets from the atmosphere to the ground/surface. Lightning has the ability to COMBINE Nitrogen and Oxygen to make weak nitrous acid which can fall to the ground as ACID RAIN.

Bacteria! Are found anywhere and everywhere! When the Nitrous acid hits the ground it forms NITRITES in the soil. BACTERIA convert the Nitrites into nitrates.The bacteria in question is known as NITROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA.

Planets can only take in Nitrogen in liquid-form and absorb it through their roots. Hence why it must be a nitrate.

DENITRIFYING BACTERIA also exist and they do the opposite to the NITRIFYING BACTERIA. They convert Nitrates to Nitrogen which is then released back into the air. These bacteria are largely the sole way that Nitrogen is restored to the atmosphere. We owe them quite a lot as they MAINTAIN the atmospheric balance that helps us sustain are way of life.

Other important aspects of the NITROGEN CYCLE are that once the nitrates are in the PLANT, the plant may be eaten and digested by an ANIMAL which could see the NITRATES return to the soil/ground either via faeces from the animal or the animals tragic demise. If it's faeces or the dead animal then DECOMPOSERS will break them down and this RELEASES Nitrogen compounds.

Now Nitrifying bacteria will convert the Nitrogen compounds into NITRATES or the Denitrifying bacteria will convert the compounds to NITRITES. Quite the battle. The cycle is perfectly balanced as the amount of Nitrogen in our atmosphere does not alter. REMEMBER! You CANNOT DESTROY AN ATOM! X

Thanks, Adam King :-) X

Here's a pic to summarise my text: