What is the Importance of Nitrogen Cycle?

The Nitrogen cycle is defined as the biogeochemical cycle process that involves transforming the inert nitrogen that is available in the atmosphere, into a more usable or conventional form, that can be actively used by plants, and various living organisms. Enroll now at Tutoroot.

1. What is the Importance of Nitrogen Cycle?
The Nitrogen cycle is defined as the biogeochemical cycle process that involves
transforming the inert nitrogen that is available in the atmosphere, into a more
usable or conventional form, that can be actively used by plants, and various living
organisms.
Moreover, the nitrogen cycle as said above involves multiple processes such as
putrefaction, denitrification, nitrification, nitrogen fixation, and decay. Besides,
nitrogen exists in two forms in nature, sustainable or organic nitrogen, and
inorganic nitrogen. Furthermore, the inorganic nitrogen in the atmosphere is more
abundant compared to organic nitrogen. And because of the Nitrogen cycle, the
abundant inorganic nitrogen is converted into organic nitrogen and it is passed up
into the food chain to balance the ecosystem.
Importance of Nitrogen Cycle
From the above description, you can guess, that the nitrogen cycle is very
important. And here in this section, we will list some of its significance or
contributions to the ecosystem.
 As we begin to narrate the importance of the nitrogen cycle, the first point that
has to be essentially noted is that the nitrogen cycle causes biochemical
processes, which help inert nitrogen gas to get converted into a usable form for
plants.
 Nitrogen is a very crucial part of the cell, as it is an important component in the
formation of various biomolecules.
 The Photosynthesis process in plants involved chlorophyll, is possible only
because of the nitrogen compounds.
 Moreover, the nitrogen cycle also causes the ammonification process, which
involves bacteria that converts animal and plant platter, through decomposition.
 Due to the nitrogen cycle, nitrates and nitrites are released into the soil, which
will boost productivity of the soil.
As per the importance of the nitrogen cycle, let us note that activities, such as fuel
combustion, and the use of fertilizers with nitrogen content also lead to the cycling
of nitrogen. In these cases, nitrogen-holding compounds increase in their levels in

2. the atmosphere. As nitrogen converts itself into compounds, its abundance in the
atmosphere can be effectively harnessed. Because plants use nitrogen compounds
immensely.
Stages of Nitrogen Cycle
As explained above, there are multiple stages in the Nitrogen Cycle, which we are
going to explain briefly here in this section.
Nitrogen Fixation Process
Nitrogen fixation is the first step in the nitrogen cycle. This process takes multiple
steps, First, the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into inert form, which is
then converted into Ammonia (NH3). By the end of this process, the nitrogen is
deposited into the soil and surface waters, mainly by precipitation. Moreover, the
nitrogen fixation process is possible only because of a symbiotic bacteria called
Diazotrophs. Aside from these various other bacteria like Rhizobium and
Azotobacter can also be used in this process. As explained, these bacteria are
stored in the roots of the leguminous plants and they aid in converting inert
nitrogen into ammonia. Apart from this, lightning and artificial methods can also
be used for the nitrogen fixation process .
Some of the ways in which nitrogen fixation can happen is atmospheric fixation
features lightning, artificial, and mostly the industrial way of fixation where
ammonia is processed or manufactured at high temperatures and pressure
This forms the prelude in understanding the importance of the nitrogen cycle.
Nitrification
The nitrification happens in two steps. The ammonia deposited into the earth’s
atmosphere is converted into nitrate with the help of the bacteria in the soil. Now
the nitrites formed are transformed into the oxidation of the ammonia process,
with the help of Nitrosomonas bacteria species. Then Nitrobacter is used to convert
the nitrites into nitrates. The bacteria get energy with this transformation.
2NH3 + 3O2 → 2NO2– + 2H+ + 2H2O
2NO2– + O2 → 2NO3–
Assimilation
This is the process that explains how plants absorb nitrogen from the roots. The
Nitrates, Nitrites, and ammonium compounds enter the plants through the soil and
help them develop, grow, and evolve. In this way, these components make their
way into the food chain.

3. Ammonification
All the plants and animals when they die, undergo a decomposition process that
releases ammonium gas into the atmosphere. However, this process is possible
only because of the virus and bacteria present in the soil.
Denitrification
This is known as the reverse process of nitrification and it occurs in the deeper
crests of the soil and other gaseous compounds such as NO2.
After a point of time, the nitrogen components in the plants and soil ecosystems
are transferred back into the air through the denitrification process. This method
involves converting nitrate (NO3-) into Nitrogen in the gaseous form.
In the above article, we have provided comprehensive information about the
nitrogen cycle, the stages of the nitrogen cycle, the importance of the nitrogen
cycle, and many more. If you are studying similar complex topics in Biology, and
have any issues understanding it, then it would be better to join the online coaching
classes. One such online interactive class is offered by the Tutoroot platform, which
provides various amazing benefits for the students.