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Biogeochemical Cycles

The document discusses biogeochemical cycles, specifically focusing on the nitrogen cycle. It describes the key processes in the nitrogen cycle, including nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. Nitrogen fixation involves the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into biologically useful forms by lightning, industrial processes, or bacteria. Ammonification and nitrification convert nitrogen into ammonium and nitrate forms that can be used by plants. Denitrification converts nitrates back to nitrogen gas through microbial processes.

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Sudeeksha Ravikoti
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243 views17 pages

Biogeochemical Cycles

The document discusses biogeochemical cycles, specifically focusing on the nitrogen cycle. It describes the key processes in the nitrogen cycle, including nitrogen fixation, ammonification, nitrification, and denitrification. Nitrogen fixation involves the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen into biologically useful forms by lightning, industrial processes, or bacteria. Ammonification and nitrification convert nitrogen into ammonium and nitrate forms that can be used by plants. Denitrification converts nitrates back to nitrogen gas through microbial processes.

Uploaded by

Sudeeksha Ravikoti
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We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Topic: Biogeochemical cycles

Lecture number: 5

Presented by Ms Naveena K,
Department of Microbiology,
St Anns College for Women, Hyderabad
BIOGEOCHEMICAL CYCLES
 BIO = “life”
 GEO = “earth”
 CHEMICAL = “elements – C, O, N, P, S
 Cycling of nutrients (water, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, sulphur) from the abiotic components of
the ecosystem (water, air, soil, rock) through the
biotic components (plants, animals, fungi, bacteria).
(OR)
• The ways in which an element - or compound such as
water - moves between its various living and nonliving
forms and locations in the biosphere is called
a biogeochemical cycle.
 Biogeochemical cycles important to living organisms
include the water, carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and
sulfur cycles.
 Carbon is found in all organic macromolecules and is
also a key component of fossil fuels.
 Nitrogen is needed for DNA, and proteins and is
critical to human agriculture.
 Phosphorus is a key component of DNA RNA and is
one of the main ingredients along with nitrogen in
artificial fertilizers used in agriculture.
 Sulfur is key to protein structure and is released to the
atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels.
Nitrogen Cycle
 Nitrogen being 79 per cent of the atmosphere, the
atmospheric phase is predominant in the global
nitrogen cycle.
 Synthesis of proteins, nucleic acids, and other
nitrogenous compounds.
 Three main pools of nitrogen – atmosphere, soil and
biomass.
 The sequence of changes from free atmospheric
nitrogen to fixed inorganic nitrogen, to simple organic
compounds, to complex organic compounds in the
tissues of microorganisms, plants and animals, and the
eventual release of this nitrogen back to atmospheric
nitrogen is dealt under the ‘nitrogen cycle’.
 From an ecological perspective, the nitrogen
cycle consists of the following stages:
(i) Nitrogen fixation
(ii) Ammonification
(iii) Nitrification
(iv) Denitrification
1. Nitrogen fixation

 Conversion of the free atmospheric nitrogen into biologically


acceptable form or nitrogenous compounds is referred to as
nitrogen fixation. This process is of two types;
 (i) Physicochemical or non-biological nitrogen fixation:
Atmospheric nitrogen combines with oxygen in the presence
of electric discharges, ozonization and combustion. Different
types of nitrogen oxides are produced.
 The nitrogen oxides dissolve in water and give rise to
hyponitrous, nitrous and nitric acids.
 They enter soil along with rain water forming hyponitrites,
nitrites and nitrates.
H2O + 2NO → HNO + HNO2

H2O + 2NO2 → HNO2 + HNO3

H2O + N2O5→ 2HNO3


 Ammonia is produced industrially by direct
combination of nitrogen with hydrogen (from water)
at high temperature and pressure.
 It is changed to various types of fertilizers including
urea.
(ii) Biological Nitrogen Fixation: It is the second most
important natural process and the major source of
nitrogen fixation which is performed by two types of
prokaryotes, bacteria and cyanobacteria (blue green
algae).
 They include both free living and symbiotic forms.
Root nodule Rhizobium bacteria
2. Ammonification

 A process in which the organic nitrogen of plants and


animals after their death is converted to ammonium
ions (NH4) by the action of saprotrophic fungi and
bacteria.
 Ammoifyinng bacteria - Bacillus ramosus, B. vulgaris, B.
mesentericus, Actinomyces.
 Ammonification occurs in two steps:
(i) Proteolysis: Breakdown of protein into its simpler
forms.
 Eg. Clostridium spp. Pseudomonas, Proteus, Bacillus, and soil
actinomycetes, and many fungi
• Secrete extracellular enzyme, ‘proteases’ -convert the
protein to smaller units (peptides) which are then
attacked by other proteolytic enzyme, namely,
‘peptidases’ resulting ultimately in the release of amino
acids.
• Overall process summarized as:

 (ii) Amino Acid Degradation: The amino acids undergo


degradation by microbial attack. They are deaminated
(i.e., removal of the amino group) to yield ammonia
3. Nitrification
 Conversion (oxidation) of ammonia to nitrate is called
‘nitrification’.
 Takes place in two stages.
 (i) Oxidation of Ammonia to Nitrite – Bacteria oxidize
NH3 to nitrite.
2NH3 + 3O2 → 2HNO2 + 2H2O
 Bacteria - Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, Nitrosolobus and
Nitrosococcus, Nocardia and Streptomyces
 (ii) Oxidation of Nitrite to Nitrate - oxidation of nitrite
(NO2) to nitrate (NO3) by bacteria of the genera
Nitrobacter, Nitrospira and Nitrococcus.
 Fungi, e.g., Cephalosporium, Aspergillus and Penicillium
HNO2 + ½ O2 → HNO3
Nitrogen uptake by Plants:
 Nitrate (NO3–) formed in the process of
nitrification is used by most plants as a mineral
metabolite and may be converted by them into
amino groups and other nitrogen- containing
compounds.
 Nitrates are also added to the soil through rock
dissolution and combination of atmospheric
nitrogen with oxygen by lightning (nitrates so
formed reach the soil by rain). However, many
plants also absorb ammonium from the soil.
4. Denitrification:
 The transformation (reduction) of nitrates to nitrogen gas
or nitrous oxide by certain microorganisms is called
‘denitrification’.
 This process depletes the soil of nitrogen, for plant growth.
 Bacteria - Thiobacillus denitrificans, Micrococcus denitrificans and
some species of Serratia, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Achromobacter, and
Paracoccus.
 Denitrification is completed by means of various steps in
presence of ‘reductase’ enzymes.
 The overall reaction is as follows:
 Nitrogen oxides escaping into atmosphere or formed during
abiological fixation can also be broken down by raidations to
form molecular nitrogen.
 De-nitrification of soil not only depletes the soil of an
important nutrient but also causes acidification which is
equally harmful in solubilisation of harmful metals.

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