Nitrogen Cycle

Prepared by :-
Group B
1. Vijay Dethaliya
2. Anuj Vaniya
3. Pranav
4. Vatsal Ahir
 Sources
• Lightning
• Inorganic fertilizers
• Nitrogen Fixation
• Animal Residues
• Crop residues
• Organic fertilizers
 Forms of Nitrogen
• Urea  CO(NH2)2
• Ammonia  NH3 (gaseous)
• Ammonium  NH4
• Nitrate  NO3
• Nitrite  NO2
• Atmospheric Dinitrogen N2
• Organic N
 Global Nitrogen Reservoirs
Nitrogen Metric tons Actively cycled
Reservoir nitrogen
Atmosphere 3.9*1015 No
Ocean  soluble
salts 6.9*1011 Yes
Biomass 5.2*108 Yes

Land  organic
matter 1.1*1011 Slow
 Biota 2.5*1010 Yes
 Roles of Nitrogen
• Plants and bacteria use nitrogen in the form
of NH4+ or NO3-
• It serves as an electron acceptor in
anaerobic environment
• Nitrogen is often the most limiting nutrient
in soil and water.
 Nitrogen is a key element for

• amino acids
• nucleic acids (purine, pyrimidine)
• cell wall components of bacteria (NAM).
 Nitrogen Cycles
• Ammonification/mineralization
• Immobilization
• Nitrogen Fixation
• Nitrification
• Denitrification
 N2

N2O NH4 NO2

R-NH2

NO
NO2
NO3
 Ammonification or Mineralization
N2

N2O NH4 NO2

R-NH2

NO
NO2
NO3
 Mineralization or Ammonification
• Decomposers: earthworms, termites, slugs, snails,
bacteria, and fungi
• Uses extracellular enzymes  initiate degradation
of plant polymers
• Microorganisms uses:
• Proteases, lysozymes, nucleases to degrade
nitrogen containing molecules
• Plants die or bacterial cells lyse  release of organic
nitrogen
• Organic nitrogen is converted to inorganic nitrogen (NH3)

• When pH<7.5, converted rapidly to NH4

• Example:

Urea NH3 + 2 CO2

 Immobilization
• The opposite of mineralization
• Happens when nitrogen is limiting in the
environment
• Nitrogen limitation is governed by C/N ratio
• C/N typical for soil microbial biomass is 20
• C/N < 20 Mineralization
• C/N > 20 Immobilization
 Nitrogen Fixation
N2

N2O NH4 NO2

R-NH2

NO
NO2 NO3
 Nitrogen Fixation

• Energy intensive process :

• N2 + 8H+ + 8e- + 16 ATP = 2NH3 + H2 + 16ADP

+ 16 Pi

• Performed only by selected bacteria and

actinomycetes
• Performed in nitrogen fixing crops
(ex: soybeans)
 Microorganisms fixing
• Azobacter • Require the enzyme
• Beijerinckia nitrogenase
• Azospirillum • Inhibited by oxygen
• Clostridium • Inhibited by ammonia
• Cyanobacteria (end product)
 Rates of Nitrogen Fixation
N2 fixing system Nitrogen Fixation (kg
N/hect/year)
Rhizobium-legume 200-300

Cyanobacteria- moss 30-40

Rhizosphere associations 2-25

Free- living 1-2

 Applications to wetlands
• Occur in overlying waters
• Aerobic soil
• Anaerobic soil
• Oxidized rhizosphere
• Leaf or stem surfaces of plants
 Bacterial Fixation
• Occurs mostly in salt marshes
• Is absent from low pH peat of northern bogs
• Cyanobacteria found in waterlogged soils
 Nitrification
N2

N2O NH4 NO2

R-NH2

NO
NO2 NO3
 Nitrification
Two step reactions that occur together :

• 1rst step catalyzed by Nitrosomonas

2 NH4+ + 3 O2  2 NO2- +2 H2O+ 4 H+

• 2nd step catalyzed by Nitrobacter

• 2 NO2- + O2  2 NO3-
• Optimal pH is between 6.6-8.0

• If pH < 6.0  rate is slowed

• If pH < 4.5  reaction is inhibited

In which type of wetlands do you

thing Nitrification occurs?
 Denitrification
N2

N2O NH4 NO2

R-NH2

NO
NO2 NO3
 Denitrification
• Removes a limiting nutrient from the
environment
• 4NO3- + C6H12O6 2N2 + 6 H20
• Inhibited by O2
• Not inhibited by ammonia
• Microbial reaction
• Nitrate is the terminal electron acceptor
Looking at the Nitrogen cycle
through the eye of NH4
Surface
water

Oxidized Low
layer [NH4]

Biodegradation
Reduced
soil layer Slow Diffusion
C/N <20
C/N >20
[NH4]
HIGH
Surface
water nitrification

Oxidized Low
[NO3] high
layer [NH4]

Reduced
soil layer
Slow Diffusion

[NH4]
HIGH
Surface N2
water

Oxidized [NO3] high

layer

Reduced Leaching
soil layer

[NO3] Low
Denitrification