the nitrogen cycle is the process that releases nitrogen gas into the atmosphere.
the nitrogen cycle is the process that releases nitrogen gas into the atmosphere.
what process releases nitrogen gas into the atmosphere?
the nitrogen cycle
section::::processes.:denitrification.









































denitrification is the reduction of nitrates back into nitrogen gas (n), completing the nitrogen cycle. this process is performed by bacterial species such as "pseudomonas" and "paracoccus", under anaerobic conditions. they use the nitrate as an electron acceptor in the place of oxygen during respiration. these facultatively (meaning optionally) anaerobic bacteria can also live in aerobic conditions. denitrification happens in anaerobic conditions e.g. waterlogged soils. the denitrifying bacteria use nitrates in the soil to carry out respiration and consequently produce nitrogen gas, which is inert and unavailable to plants.









































section::::processes.:dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium.
nitrogen cycle
viral shunt is a big component to the cycling of nitrogen in marine environments. nitrogen gas from the atmosphere gets dissolved into surface of the water. nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria, such as "trichodesmium" and "anabaena," convert the nitrogen gas (n) into ammonium (nh) for microbes to use. the process of converting nitrogen gas to ammonia (and related nitrogen compounds) is called nitrogen fixation.the process of uptake of ammonium by microbes to be used in protein synthesis is called nitrogen assimilation. the viral shunt causes mass death of heterotrophic bacteria. the decomposition of these microbes releases particulate organic nitrogen (pon) and dissolved organic nitrogen (don), which either stay in the upper mixing layer or sink to the deeper parts of the ocean. in the deep ocean, pon and don are converted back into ammonium by remineralisation. this ammonium can be used by deep ocean microbes, or undergo nitrification and be oxidized into nitrites and nitrates. the sequence of nitrification is as followed:
viral shunt