Question

Describe in 300 words the nitrogen cycle as influenced by microbes and their diverse C and energy metabolism.

Describe in 300 words the nitrogen cycle as influenced by microbes and their diverse carbon and energy metabolism.

Answer 1

Microorganisms are the key components that runs the carbon and nitrogen cycles. Soil microbes converts the nitrogen to the usable form for the plants.

The nitrogen fixing with the help of micro organisms is known as the biologial nitrogen fixation. The micro organisms that aids in this process are the nitrogen fixing bacteria, ammonifying bacteria, nitrifying bacteria, denitrifying bacteria. Some of the nitrogen fixing bacteria are free living in the soil where as some other forms symbiotic association with plants.

The microbes plays an imporatnt role in the process of break down and also in transforming the dead organic matter into the form that are reused by the organisms. The terrestrial carbon cycle is balanced by the process of photosynthesis and respiration. The carbon from the atmosphere is fixed by autotrophic organisms mainly by plants and the photo autotrophic as well as the chemo autotrophic microbes. The fixed carbon inturns return to the atmosphere by respiration of both the autotrophic aswell as the heterotrophic organisms. The decomposition of organic material is utilized by the plants or animals and rest carbon dioxide is released back to the atmosphere. The microbes have the capacity to utilize the organic and the inorganic form of carbon as the energy source. The carbon cycles cannot operate independently it is always closely related to the other cycles too.