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Question

what role do microorganisms play in boigeochemical cycles?

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Solution

Microbes play an important role in recycling of biological elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur, carbon and phosphorous. These microorganisms play a primary role in regulating biogeochemical systems in virtually all of our planet's environments. The microbe - bacteria, plays a critical role in the nitrogen cycle.

Nitrogen is an important constituent of tissues, enzymes, proteins, nucleic acids and aminoacids. Atmosphere contains about 78% of nitrogen and it cannot be used by plants and animals as molecular nitrogen. It is an essential nutrient for all life forms and the perfect nitrogen cycle in biosphere involves the important steps named, Nitrogen fixation, Ammonification, Nitrification and Denitrification.

  • Nitrogen fixation: The atomospheric nitrogen converts into nitrites by microbes like Rhizobium, blue green algae and azatobactor.
  • Ammonication:Decomposition of dead organic matter into ammonia by fungi and decay bacteria.
  • Nitrification: Ammonia becomes nitrites and then to nitrates by nitrosomonas and nitrobactor.
  • Denitrification: Nitrites in the soil release atmospheric nitrogen by pseudomonas.

Thus, nitrogen cycle in nature passes nitrogen from its elemental form in the atmosphere into simple molecules into soil and water, which get converted into more complex molecules in living beings and back again into simple nitrogen molecule in the atmosphere.


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