The Nitrogen Cycle

The video explains the nitrogen cycle, highlighting its importance for life on Earth. Nitrogen, essential for living organisms, is abundant in the air but unusable in its gaseous form. The cycle begins with nitrogen-fixing bacteria converting nitrogen gas into nitrates, which plants absorb to make proteins. These proteins travel up the food chain, providing animals with necessary nitrogen. Decomposition returns nitrogen to the soil, where bacteria convert it into ammonium and then back into nitrates. Finally, denitrifying bacteria release nitrogen gas back into the atmosphere, completing the cycle. This process is crucial for recycling nitrogen into compounds vital for life.

What is the significance of nitrogen in the existence of life on Earth?

Explain how nitrogen is converted from nitrogen gas into usable compounds for plants and animals.

Describe the role of nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the nitrogen cycle.

What happens to nitrogen in living organisms when they die?

How do denitrifying bacteria contribute to the nitrogen cycle?