THE NITROGEN CYCLE

BY
PRIYANKA MAJUMDAR
NITRATES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR PLANT
GROWTH

Plant
protein

Root
uptake

Nitrate
NO3-
NITRATES ARE RECYCLED VIA
MICROBES
Animal
protein
Plant
Soil organic nitrogen protein

Ammonification Root
uptake
Ammonium NH4+

Nitrification

Nitrite NO2-
Nitrification
Nitrate
NO3-
AMMONIFICATION
 Nitrogen enters the soil through the decomposition of protein in dead organic
matter
 This process liberates a lot of energy which can be used by the saprotrophic
microbes.
 NITRIFICATION

 This involves two oxidation processes

 The ammonia produced by ammonification is an
energy rich substrate for Nitrosomas bacteria
They oxidise it to nitrite:
NH3 + 11/2O2  NO2- + H2O + 276kJ

This in turn provides a substrate for Nitrobacter

bacteria that oxidise the nitrite to nitrate:
NO2- + 1/2O2  NO3- + 73 kJ

 This energy is the only source of energy for these

prokaryotes
 They are chemoautotrophs.
NITROGEN FROM THE ATMOSPHERE
Atmospheric Atmospheric Nitrogen
Out fixation 4 000 000 000 Gt
gassing

Plant
protein
Biological Soil organic
fixation nitrogen Root uptake

Nitrate NO3-
ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN FIXATION
 Electrical storms
 Lightning provides sufficient energy to split the nitrogen atoms of nitrogen gas,
 Forming oxides of nitrogen NOx and NO2
 ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION
 This also happens inside the engines of cars
 The exhaust emissions of cars contribute to atmospheric pollution in the form of NOx
 NOx form photochemical smogs
 NOx are green house gases
 NOx dissolve in rain to contribute to acid rain in the form of nitric acid
 The rain falling on soil and running into rivers
 NOx contribute to the eutrophication of water bodies.
BIOLOGICAL NITROGEN FIXATION

Treatments Yield / g

Oats Peas
No nitrate & sterile soil 0.6 0.8

Nitrate added & sterile soil 12.0 12.9

No nitrate & non-sterile soil 0.7 16.4
Nitrate added & non-sterile soil 11.6 15.3
CONCLUSION
 Adding nitrate fertiliser helps the growth of both
plants
 The presence of microbes permits the peas to
grow much better than the oats
 The peas grow better in the presence of the
microbes than they do with nitrate fertiliser added
 The difference is due to the present of mutualistic
nitrogen fixing bacteria which live in the pea roots.
 ROOT NODULES

Alafalfa (Medicago sativa)

USDA - ARS

University of Sydney
 ONLY PROKARYOTES SHOW
NITROGEN FIXATION
 These organisms possess the nif gene complex which make
the nitrogenase enzyme, used in nitrogen fixation
 The reaction involves splitting nitrogen gas molecules and
adding hydrogen to make ammonia

N2  2N - 669 kJ
2N + 8H+  NH3 + H2 + 54 kJ

 This is extremely energy expensive requiring 16 ATP

molecules for each nitrogen molecule fixed
 The microbes that can fix nitrogen need a good supply of
energy.
THE NITROGEN FIXERS
 Cyanobacteria are nitrogen fixers that also fix carbon (these are photosynthetic)
 Rhizobium bacteria are mutualistic with certain plant species e.g. Legumes
 They grow in root nodules
 Azotobacter are bacteria associated with the rooting zone (the rhizosphere) of
plants in grasslands.
THE HUMAN IMPACT

Industrial
fixation

Biological
fixation
 INDUSTRIAL N-FIXATION

The Haber-Bosch Process

N2 + 3H2  2NH3 - 92kJ
The Haber process uses an iron catalyst
High temperatures (500°C)
High pressures (250 atmospheres)
The energy require comes from burning fossil fuels (coal, gas or oil)
Hydrogen is produced from natural gas (methane) or other hydrocarbon.

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

THE DIFFERENT SOURCES OF FIXED
NITROGEN
Sources of fixed nitrogen Production / M tonnes a -1

Biological 175

Industrial 50
Internal Combustion 20
Atmospheric 10

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 EUTROPHICATION

 Nutrient enrichment of water bodies

 Nitrates and ammonia are very soluble in water
 They are easily washed (leached) from free draining soils
 These soils tend to be deficient in nitrogen
 When fertiliser is added to these soils it too will be washed out into water bodies
 There algae benefit from the extra nitrogen
 This leads to a serious form of water pollution.
 EUTROPHICATION
Fertilisers washed into river or lake

Sewage or New limiting factor imposes itself

other organic
waste

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 ALGAL BLOOMS CAN BE NATURAL

Annual cycles of an alga in the Baltic with Total Nitrogen and Total Phosphorus
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
CONTROLLING ALGAL BLOOMS

LAKE ERIE

Limit nutrients
Control pollution
Increase number of
herbivores

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 MAKING THINGS WORSE!

Hot water Pollution

from industry from oil or
(Thermal detergents
Increased Biochemical
pollution) Oxygen Demand (BOD)

Reduction in dissolved O2

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 THE DEATH OF A LAKE

Reduction in dissolved O2

Increased nitrite
levels
NO3-  NO2-

Death/emigration
of freshwater Methaemoglobinaemia in infants
fauna Stomach cancer link
(WHO limit for nitrates 10mg dm-3)
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
THE FUTURE OF INDUSTRIAL NITROGEN
FIXATION
 Food production relies heavily upon synthetic
fertilisers made by consuming a lot of fossil energy
 Food will become more expensive to produce
 Nitrogen fixing microbes, using an enzyme system,
do the same process at standard temperatures
and pressures essentially using solar energy
 Answer: Genetically engineered biological nitrogen
fixation?

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 MAKING THINGS BETTER

 The need for synthetic fertilisers can be reduced by

cultural practices
 Avoiding the use of soluble fertilisers in sandy (free
draining soil) prevents leaching
 Rotating crops permits the soil to recover from nitrogen
hungry crops (e.g. wheat)
 Adding a nitrogen fixing crop into the rotation cycle
 Ploughing aerates the soil and reduces denitrification
 Draining water logged soil also helps reduce
denitrification.

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 RETURN TO THE ATMOSPHERE:
DENITRIFICATION
 Nitrates and nitrites can be used a source of oxygen for Pseudomonas bacteria
 Favourable conditions: Cold waterlogged (anaerobic) soils
2NO3-  3O2 + N2providing up to 2385kJ
2NO2-  2O2 + N2 
 The liberated oxygen is used as an electron acceptor in the processes that oxidise organic
molecules, such as glucose
 These microbes are, therefore, heterotrophs

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS

Drosera rotundifolia
© P Billiet
© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS
 INSECTIVOROUS PLANTS
DROSERA ROTUNDIFOLIA
© P B I L L I E T

Carnivorous plants trap

insects
They digest their bodies
Insect proteins provide a
source of nitrogen
These plants have found a
niche in nitrogen deficient
soils
E.g. peat bogs

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS

 Atmospheric Atmospheric Nitrogen
fixation
4 000 000 000 Gt
Out
gassin
g Industrial
fixation Animal
protein
Plant protein
3500 Gt
Biological Soil organic nitrogen Denitrification
fixation 9500 Gt
Root
uptake
Ammonification
Dissolved in water
Ammonium NH4+ 6000 Gt

Nitrification

Nitrite NO2-
Nitrification

Nitrate
Leaching
NO3-

Sediments 10 Gt

© 2016 Paul Billiet ODWS