Nitrogen 1
How much of the atmosphere is made up of nitrogen?
78% of the atmosphere
What color is nitrogen?
Nitrogen is colorless
What does nitrogen smell like?
Nitrogen has no smell
What type of nitrogen can organisms not use?
Unreactive nitrogen
What are the forms of nitrogen?
Atmosperic nitrogen, ammonium, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates
With what process is atmospheric nitrogen changed into ammonia by bacteria?
Nitrogen fixation
What is the process where bacteria in the ground convert ammonia into nitrites, then nitrates called?
Nitrification
What is the process where bacteria convert nitrate back into nitrogen gas and return it to the atmosphere?
dentrification
How do animals obtain nitrogen?
By eating other animals and plants
What is the process where decomposers convert waste or dead organisms into ammonia?
ammonification
What human activity produces the most excess nitrogen for ecosystems?
The use of synthetic fertilizers
What are the three types of nitrogen fixation?
Industrial, atmospheric, and biological
What plants are usually associated with nitrogen-fixing bacteria?
Legumes (beans, peas, clover etc.)
What are two ways nitrogen is naturally fixed?
Lightning and nitrogen fixing bacteria
What are the consequences of excess atmospheric nitrogen oxides?
Acid rain