Modeling the Nitrogen Cycle

Read the yellow description cards to create your own version of the Nitrogen Cycle. The cards
black cards represent the various nitrogen pools and the blue arrow cards represent the
different processes involved in the Nitrogen Cycle.

CALL ME OVER TO CHECK YOUR MODEL BEFORE YOU MOVE ON!

Insert a picture of your final model/diagram below

Analysis Questions
1. List at least three examples of places where Nitrogen exists? ​Soil, Atmosphere, Ocean

2. Where does the Nitrogen in our atmosphere come from? ​Soil, Legume Root Nodules,
Volcanoes, and Soil Living Bacteria

3. What are the two ways in which Nitrogen can be processed by soil-living bacteria?
Decomposition and Mineralization

4. Explain the role of bacteria in the Nitrogen cycle. ​Release Nitrogen into the atmosphere
as a result of decomposition. They also release Nitrogen into the soils but in a more solid
form.

5. How do the animals get their Nitrogen? ​By consuming plants

6. What do legume root nodules and cyanobacteria have in common?​ They both do
nitrogen.

7. Explain how the Nitrogen cycle involves each of the four Earth spheres:

a. Atmosphere: ​where Nitrogen in the form of N​2​ is stored

b. Biosphere: ​living organisms use Nitrogen in it’s fixated forms

c. Geosphere: ​Volcanic activity contributes to expelling of nitrogen

d. Hydrosphere: ​cyanobacteria fixate nitrogen. Sediments are turned into

lithospheric rock.

8. Explain how lightning helps to fertilize the soils? ​Nitrogen and oxygen bond together and
are carried off in rain, which hits the soil when it falls on the ground.

9. Human activity can cause ​eutrophication​ or the enrichment of an ecosystem with the
chemical nutrient such as Nitrogen. Eutrophication can happen when excessive fertilizer
or raw sewage enters a body of water. What would the consequence of eutrophication
on the Nitrogen cycle? ​It can lead to algae blooms since algae tend to grow faster in the
presence of nitrates/nitrites.

10. Farmers often use a system of crop rotation, where they alternate years in which they
grow corn with years in which they grow soybean plants. This strategy often leads to
healthier soils and greater yields. From the perspective of the Nitrogen Cycle in the soil,
what is the reason why crop rotation produces such positive results? ​It helps to make
sure that one crop isn’t absorbing all the nutrients (often Nitrogen based). There is
enough left over for another crop left to use, allowing for plants to get their vital nutrients.
11. Why would a farmer use a Nitrogen-rich fertilizer on his/her farm? ​To grow his crops
more quickly since nitrogen contributes to plant growth. This way he can produce a
higher yield each harvest, thus making more money through increased supply.

12. Which aspects of the Nitrogen cycle do you think occur rapidly or slowly? Explain. ​ I think
the aspect of the Nitrogen cycle that occurs rapidly is the interaction between the
atmosphere and the soil. Since Nitrogen is transferred between those two areas, thanks
to precipitation it can be done at a much faster pace. I think the part of the cycle that
occurs slowly is the tectonic plate movement. It takes millions of years for plates to shift
even an inch, so imagine how long it would take to fixate bacteria with this process.

13. Recent studies showed that when a forest burns down, nitrate levels in the soil go up. In
addition to the bacteria, the burned sites had greater rates of nitrification, meaning that
Nitrogen was being processed more quickly through the ecosystem than without a fire.
Do you think this is good or a bad thing for the Nitrogen cycle? Explain.I​ think this would
be bad for the cycle since it increases the amount of nitrogen available in the ecosystem.
This can lead to eutrophication, which in turn results in the overproduction of plants that
grow with increased nitrates.

14. Place your cards back in their rubber bands and place them back into their bags.
Thanks!