Nitrogen

Front

What organisms break down dead plants and animals and release nitrogen back into the atmosphere?

Back

Bacteria

Front

True or False: Bacteria fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into a form plants can use.

Back

True

Front

Why can't we just get our nitrogen by breathing if the atmosphere is 78% N2?

Back

We have no mechanism to break the triple bond of nitrogen between the atoms.

Front

True or False: Plants and animals can use nitrogen directly from the air.

Back

False

Front

What is the term for an increase in the amount of nutrients in a body of water?

Back

Eutrophication

Front

What is nitrogen fixation?

Back

The process of converting nitrogen gas (N2) from the atmosphere into ammonia (NH3) or related compounds in soil.

Front

What role do legumes play in nitrogen fixation?

Back

Legumes host nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their root nodules, which convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form for plants.

Front

What is the main form of nitrogen that plants can absorb?

Back

Nitrate (NO3-) and ammonium (NH4+).

Front

What is the nitrogen cycle?

Back

The series of processes by which nitrogen and its compounds are interconverted in the environment and in living organisms.

Front

What is denitrification?

Back

The process by which bacteria convert nitrates back into nitrogen gas (N2), releasing it into the atmosphere.