Lesson 3 Form Four Biology

Morning Form four today we wish to discuss the nitrogen cycle.

Firstly we need to realise that the nitrogen in the air is inert and cannot be utilised by plants.

Plants mainly absorb nitrogen in the form of __________.

Nitrogen needs to be converted into a usable form. This is called fixing. This is done in three main
ways .

 Nitrogen fixing plants which have bacteria

 Nitrogen fixing bacteria which live in the soil
 Lightning
The first set of bacteria are called nitrogen fixing bacteria
When organisms decay their proteins undergo purification and ammonia is formed. This
releases ammonia. Nitrifying bacteria convert this firstly to nitrites and then nitrates. This is
called nitrification.
The second set of bacteria are the Nitrifying bacteria.
In this step we can also include the decomposing bacteria.
The fixed nitrogen can also be reconverted into N2. This can happen especially in water
logged soils.
These bacteria are called denitrifying bacteria. They cause the soil to be less fertile.
Nitrogen is an important part of proteins in plants.