Lesson 4 Form 4 Biology

The following is an extract from your syllabus

Core
•• Describe the carbon cycle, limited to
photosynthesis, respiration, feeding,
decomposition, fossilisation and combustion
•• Discuss the effects of the combustion of fossil
fuels and the cutting down of forests on the
carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere
•• Describe the water cycle, limited to evaporation,
transpiration, condensation and precipitation
Supplement
•• Describe the nitrogen cycle in terms of:
– decomposition of plant and animal protein to
ammonium ions
– nitrification
– nitrogen fixation by lightning and bacteria
– absorption of nitrate ions by plants
– production of amino acids and proteins
– feeding and digestion of proteins
– deamination
– denitrification
•• State the roles of microorganisms in the nitrogen
cycle, limited to decomposition, nitrification,
nitrogen fixation and denitrification (generic
names of individual bacteria, e.g. Rhizobium, are
not required)

The objective of this lesson is to make certain that we have covered and understood all these
outcomes.

We will do this by completing the worksheet on questions on the nitrogen cycle and discussing the
water cycle.

1. why can the nitrogen in the atmosphere not be utilised by plants.

N2 is diatomic gas hold together by three covalent bonds which require much energy to break. It is
therefore unreactive and inert.

2. what forms of nitrogen can plants utilise?

Ammonia and nitrates

3. what Is the changing of nitrogen gas into a more reactive form called? Nitrogen fixation

4. this process is brought about by nitrogen fixing bacteria in the soil and in thenodules of nitrogen
fixing plants. It can also occur in the atmosphere when lightning strikes occur. Nitrogen oxide forms
and the form nitrates.

5. plants need nitrogen to make amino acids/proteins.

6. Nitrates and ammonia are soluble and readily absorbed by roots of plants.

7. animals eat the plants and form proteins in their bodies

8. These proteins are returned to the soil in three ways

 Faeces
 Urine contains nitrogenous wastes produced in the process of deamination.
 Decomposition of dead or decaying bodies.

9. when these products become part of the earth decomposing bacteria bring about decay and
produce ammonia.

10. ammonia is converted to nitrites and then nitrates. This is called nitrification. The bacteria are
called nitrifying bacteria.

10. the denitrifying bacteria bring about the return of nitrates to nitrogen and so reduce the fertility
of the soil.

Eutrophication occurs when fertilizers which contain high levels of nitrates are washed into rivers.

These cause the algae to grow rapidly this is called algal bloom. These then compete for light and
some of them die. The aerobic bacteria that cause their decomposition utilise the oxygen and so the
fish start to die. This leads to the pollution of rivers.

Water Cycle

The key words for the water cycle are evaporation, transpiration, condensation and
evaporation.
I would like you to draw this cycle into your notebooks from page 272.

We will now use the diagram below to understand eutropication fully.

Eutrophication

I would like you to use the above diagram to give

me the main points.