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The nitrogen cycle
1. Nitrogen fixation
➢ The process by which nitrogen gas is converted into nitrogen containing compounds
➢ Carried out by:
Free living bacteria – Reduces gaseous nitrogen into ammonia (which they then use to
manufacture amino acids). Nitrogen rich compounds are released when they die
Mutualistic nitrogen-fixing bacteria – The bacteria on the nodules require carbohydrates
from the plant and in turn they provide the plant with amino acids
2. Ammonification
➢ Production of ammonia from ammonium containing compounds
➢ Saprobiotic bacteria feed on the materials releasing ammonia which converts to
ammonium in the soil
3. Nitrification
➢ Saprophytic bacteria in the soil convert ammonium ions into nitrite ions and then into
nitrate ions.
➢ Oxygen is required!
4. Denitrification
➢
➢ Denitrifying bacteria convert soil nitrates into gaseous nitrogen
➢ They can do this anerobically.
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FERTILISERS:
How fertilisers increase productivity
o Nitrogen is need to make proteins and DNA
o Where there are more nitrates available, plants are likely to develop earlier, grow
quicker and taller and cover a greater area with their leaves.
o This therefore increases the rate of photosynthesis and also increases productivity.
EFFECTS:
Reduced species diversity – nitrogen favours the growth of rapidly growing species
such as grasses, nettles and weeds. Some species grow quickly and out compete the
others.
Leaching – leads to pollution of watercourses
Eutrophication – caused by leaching of fertilisers into watercourses
Leaching
• Rain water can dissolve soluble nitrates and carry them deeper into the soil beyond
the reach of plant roots and into water courses that is used for human consumption.
• High levels of nitrates in water can cause inefficient transport of oxygen to the brain.
Eutrophication
• Nitrate levels increase due to leaching, there is no longer a limiting factor, and so
plants/algae both grow exponentially
• Algae grow and cover the upper layers of the water. This is called “algae bloom”.
• The algae on the top of the water absorbs sunlight, preventing it from reaching the
bottom of the lake.
• Light becomes a limiting factor for plants/algae at the bottom of the lake and so they
die
• Saprophytic algae can now grow exponentially feeding on the decaying plant matter
• More anaerobic saprophytic bacteria, more oxygen used up and more nitrates
produced from decaying organisms.
• Oxygen is a limiting factor for aerobic organisms such as fish and so they eventually
die.
• Without any aerobically respiring organisms, anaerobically respiring organisms no
long have to compete and so they begin to reproduce exponentially.
• Anaerobic organisms further breakdown other dead material thus producing more
nitrates as well as some toxic wastes such as, hydrogen sulphide which makes the
water putrid.
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CHARLIE COOPER StudyWise.co.uk
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CHARLIE COOPER StudyWise.co.uk
THE CARBON CYCLE
• Carbon is absorbed by plants during photosynthesis to become carbon compounds in
plant tissue
• Consumers eat the plant and take the carbon
• Consumers die and their carbon is digested by saprobiotic bacteria
• Saprobiotic bacteria respire and release the carbon to the air
• (If there are no decomposers, it is turned to fossil fuels and is released by combustion)
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CHARLIE COOPER StudyWise.co.uk
1. When solar radiation reaches the earth, some is
reflected back into space, some is absorbed by the
atmosphere and some reaches the earth.
2. The radiation that reaches the earth is absorbed, and
reemitted back into space.
3. However, some of this radiation is absorbed by
clouds and greenhouse gases that will reflect the
radiation back to earth. This causes a heating effect
known as the greenhouse effect
Consequences of global warming
Affects the niches available in a community, leading to an alteration in the
distribution of species
Melting of polar ice caps and therefore increasing sea levels
High temperature may lead to crop fail
Benefits
Increased rate of photosynthesis, greater rain fall, possible twice a year harvest
Allows crops to grow where it is now too cold
Fill reservoirs
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