Cycling of matter

• Like matter, Organism also pass matter between

themselves - atoms of various elements that they use to
build themselves.
• Eg. C, O, H and N.

• There is a difference between the ways in which energy

and matter are moved within the ecosystem.
 Cycling of matter

• Matter, unlike energy tends to be recycled within the

ecosystem rather than passing though it..
• matter tends to be recycled.

• Decomposers play a vital role in returning ‘used’

materials to the ecosystem so that they can become
available to other organisms.
NITROGEN CYCLE
 Processes
 Nitrogen fixation
 Asssimilation
 Ammonification
 Nitrification
 Denitrification
 Nitrogen

• Essential element due to it being apart of proteins

and nucleic acids.
• 78% of the air is nitrogen gas; N2.
• Nitrogen very unreactive because it has a triple
covalent bond between the nitrogen atoms so it is
unavailable to most organisms.
 Nitrogen

• N2 must be converted into more reactive forms

like Ammonia (NH3 ) or Nitrate ( NO3) before it
can be used by living organisms.
• This is called nitrogen fixation.

• Autotrophs can then use this ‘fixed’ nitrogen to

make protein which can then be passed on to
heterotrophs
 Nitrogen fixation by living organisms

• Rhizobium, one of the best known nitrogen fixing

bacteria lives freely in the soil and in root nodules
of leguminous plant like peas and beans.
• The bacteria fixes nitrogen with the aid of the
enzyme nitrogenase.
• N2 is converted to Ammonium ions (NH4+ )
 Nitrogen fixation by living organisms

• This is an example of mutualism as the plants gain

a source of useful nitrogen from the bacteria,
while the bacteria gain carbohydrates and
protection from the plants.
 Nitrogen fixation by living organisms

• Conditions for nitrogen fixation:

• - A supply of hydrogen – which comes from
reduced NADP which is produced by the plant.
• - A supply of ATP – comes from metabolism of
sucrose
• - Anaerobic conditions- a protein called
leghaemoglobin ‘mops’ up the oxygen that
diffuses into the nodules.
 Nitrogen fixation in the atmosphere

• Lightening causes nitrogen molecules to react with

oxygen forming nitrogen oxides which dissolves in
rain and are carried to the ground.
 Fixation by Haber process

• In this process, nitrogen and hydrogen react

together to produce ammonia.

• Ammonia is then converted to ammonium nitrate,

which is a widely used fertilizer.
 Use of fixed Nitrogen by plants

• Legumes use the fixed nitrogen produced by

Rhizobium in their root nodules to make amino
acids.
• These are transported out of the nodules into the
xylem, distributed to all parts of the plant and
used within cells to synthesise proteins.
 Use of fixed Nitrogen by plants

• Other plants rely on supplies of fixed nitrogen in

the soil. Their roots take up nitrate ions by active
transport.
• In the roots of most plants, Nitrate is first
converted to Nitrite ( NO2), then to ammonia and
then amino acids which are transported to other
parts of the plant.
 Use of fixed Nitrogen by plants

• In other plants, the nitrate ions are transported in

xylem to the leaves before undergoing these
processes.
• Most of the nitrogen ends up as part of protein
molecules in the plant, usually in seeds and
storage tissues.
 Assimilation of Nitrogen in Animals

• Animals can only use nitrogen within its apart of

an organic molecule.
• Most of our supply of nitrogen comes from
proteins while a small amount comes from nuclei
acids.
• Proteins are digested to amino acids before they
are absorbed into the blood and distributed over
the body.
 Assimilation of Nitrogen in Animals

• Here they are built up again into proteins.

• Excess amino acids are deaminated in the liver to
from apart of urea which is then excreted in
urine.
 Return of Nitrate to the soil from living organisms

• When plants and animals dies, the proteins in

their cells are broken down to amino acids by
decomposers by protease enzymes.
• The decomposers use some of the amino acids for
their own cell growth while some are broken down
and released as ammonia.
 Return of Nitrate to the soil from living organisms

• Ammonia is also produced from the urea of animals by

a process called ammonification.

• Ammonia in the soil is converted to Nitrite ions ( NO2)

and Nitrate ions ( NO3) by nitrifying bacteria in a
process call nitrification.
• Nitrifying bacteria includes Nitrosomonas and
Nitrobacter.
 Return of Nitrate to the soil from living organisms

• This only occurs in well aerated soils.

• Boggy soils are usually short of nitrates.
• Some plants have become adapted to growing in
such soils by supplementing their nitrogen intake
using animal protein.
• These carnivorous plants, like the Venus fly trap;
traps insects whose proteins are digested and
absorbed by the plant.
 Denitrification

• The conversion of nitrate ions to dinitrogen.

• Denitrifying Bacteria such as Pseudomonas reduces

nitrate to nitrogen while providing themselves with
energy.

• NO3 NO2 N2O N2

• This completes the nitrogen cycle