Nitrogen Cycle

The main component of the nitrogen cycle starts with the element nitrogen in the air. Two nitrogen oxides are found in the air as a result of interactions with oxygen. Nitrogen will only react with oxygen in the presence of high temperatures and pressures found near lightning bolts and in combustion reactions in power plants or internal combustion engines. Nitric oxide, NO, and nitrogen dioxide, NO2, are formed under these conditions. Eventually nitrogen dioxide may react with water in rain to form nitric acid, HNO3. The nitrates thus formed may be utilized by plants as a nutrient. Nitrogen in the air becomes a part of biological matter mostly through the actions of bacteria and algae in a process known as nitrogen fixation. Legume plants such as clover, alfalfa, and soybeans form nodules on the roots where nitrogen fixing bacteria take nitrogen from the air and convert it into ammonia, NH3. The ammonia is further converted by other bacteria first into nitrite ions, NO2-, and then into nitrate ions, NO3-. Plants utilize the nitrate ions as a nutrient

or fertilizer for growth. Nitrogen is incorporate in many amino acids which are further reacted to make proteins. Ammonia is also made through a synthetic process called the Haber process. Nitrogen and hydrogen are reacted under great pressure and temperature in the presence of a catalyst to make ammonia. Ammonia may be directly applied to farm fields as fertilizer. Ammonia may be further processed with oxygen to make nitric acid. The reaction of ammonia and nitric acid produces ammonium nitrate which may then be used as a fertilizer. Animal wastes when decomposed also return to the earth as nitrates. To complete the cycle other bacteria in the soil carry out a process known as denitrification which converts nitrates back to nitrogen gas. A side product of this reaction is the production of a gas known as nitrous oxide, N2O. Nitrous oxide, also known as "laughing gas" - mild anesthetic, is also a greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming.

Nitrogen: The Essential Element

Nitrogen is an element vital to all life processes on Earth. To appreciate the importance of nitrogen in our biosphere, simply realize nitrogen comprises 78% of the atmosphere, and is embedded in every living tissue! It is a component of amino acids, proteins and nucleic acids. With the exception of carbon, nitrogen is the most universal element of life Put simply: Life could not exist without nitrogen. Aside from organic development, nitrogenous compounds are also required by some organisms for metabolic functions and respiration. Nitrogen exists in many states. In its most common gaseous state of N2, nitrogen forms very strong covalent bonds that can only be broken when great force or energy is applied (e.g. seismic event or lightening), or by particular bacteria species which use nitrogenous compounds for metabolism. The fact is various bacteria are critical to every step of the nitrogen cycle. It is these bacteria and their specific roles that are of particular interest to reef keepers.

The Nitrogen Cycle: Defined

The nitrogen cycle is defined as the pathways for which nitrogen is recycled. As with all elements, nitrogen is constantly combined and uncombined with other elements to form essential and nonessential compounds for life. We term this progression from one compound to the next its pathway. Tracking nitrogens pathway is critical to understanding the role nitrogen plays in the chemical functions of an ecosystem. Consequently, we can apply this knowledge to the management of key processes in our captive reef ecosystems to ensure a balanced, healthy environment for our reefs inhabitants. To simplify the concept, we will trace the nitrogen cycle from its source of introduction to the eventual recycling of nitrogen within (and without) our reef aquariums.

Introduction of Nitrogen
Nitrogen is introduced into the aquarium in a variety of ways. Here are the three major contributors of nitrogen: 1. Introduced organisms. Every living organism, from fish to algae, all have great quantities of assimilated nitrogen in their tissues. Remember that nitrogen is a fundamental ingredient for the formation of proteins and nucleic acids. Every time you introduce fishes, corals, live rocks, shrimps, crabs, worms, macroalgae, etc., you introduce nitrogen into your system. 2. Food inputs. Foods are merely an extension of item #1. Dead or alive, they are organic masses, and possess the same nitrogenous attributes as the decorative living organisms you introduce. 3. Inorganic inputs. There are two major sources for inorganic nitrogen: the atmosphere and introduced water. Atmospheric nitrogen (N2) is incorporated into our aquarium water via nitrogen fixation by bacteria and cyanobacteria as ammonia (NH3). Inorganic nitrogenous compounds from our municipal water system enter our aquarium. Even after employing extensive filtering systems such as reverse osmosis and deionization, trace quantities of nitrogen is still imported into our aquariums, and accumulate over time. The most common compounds are the ammonias and its oxides: NO2 & NO3..

Ammonification & Nitrification

The decomposition process produces large quantities of ammonia (NH3) through the process of ammonification. Heterotrophic microbes utilize the organic compounds of decomposing matter as their carbon source. Ammonia (NH3) is the byproduct of this consumption. Ammonia, in its neutral state, exists as ammonium (NH4+). Ammonium has several divergent pathways from this point forth. Plants and algae can assimilate ammonia and ammonium directly for the biosynthesis. The remaining bulk of decomposed byproducts is utilized by bacteria in a process called nitrification. Nitrification is the oxidation (affixation of oxygen) of ammonium by chemolithotrophic bacteria species. During this process, specific species of nitrifying bacteria strip the ammonium of its hydrogen molecules as an energy source. Oxygen molecules are then affixed to the stripped nitrogen, forming the oxide nitrite (NO2). Another group of bacteria utilize the enzyme nitrite oxidase that is then responsible for converting nitrite into nitrate (NO3). In order for nitrification to occur, three constants must be present: 1. Nitrifying bacteria. This is self-evident. However, the species responsible for nitrification are not. For the greater majority of reef keepings history, Nitrosoma spp.and Nitrobacter spp. were thought to be responsible for nitrification (derived from freshwater studies). However, recent studies have questioned this long-held supposition. 2. Ammonia/Ammonium. NH4+ is the energy source for these bacteria, and thus it is the motivation for nitrification. 3. Oxygen. After all, nitrification is an oxidative process, in which oxygen is being affixed to nitrogen to form nitrite and nitrate. While ammonium is the motivation for nitrification, oxygen is the mechanism used to achieve the desired results (ie energy generation).

Recycling of Nitrogen
First and foremost, let us dispel the misinformation that the nitrogen cycle ends at some point along the pathway. The prevailing concept about the nitrogen cycle is that it ends with the formation of NO3, or with the process of denitrification. Neither is true. As the term suggests, the nitrogen cycle is an unremitting succession of pathways for nitrogen. It is never "completed." There is no end to the nitrogen cycle; Matter can neither be created nor destroyed, and nitrogen is no different. Instead, nitrogen is continuously recycled from one form to another. So if the nitrogen cycle doesnt end, what happens to the aforementioned byproducts of nitrification? There are two primary routes for nitrate reduction: Assimilative and Dissimilative pathways.