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Related Concept Videos

Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism01:20

Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism

7.9K
Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
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The Nitrogen Cycle01:49

The Nitrogen Cycle

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Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
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Energy Budgets00:51

Energy Budgets

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Organisms must balance energy intake with the energy required for growth, maintenance and reproduction. These trade-offs result in a variety of survivorship and reproductive strategies, including semelparity and iteroparity. Semelparous species, like annual plants, have only one reproductive episode in their lifetimes and consequently have short lifespans. Iteroparous species, by contrast, have many reproductive events during their lifetimes but have relatively few offspring. These two...
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The Equilibrium Constant03:11

The Equilibrium Constant

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Consider the oxidation of sulfur dioxide:
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Free Energy Changes for Nonstandard States03:25

Free Energy Changes for Nonstandard States

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The free energy change for a process taking place with reactants and products present under nonstandard conditions (pressures other than 1 bar; concentrations other than 1 M) is related to the standard free energy change according to this equation:
 
where R is the gas constant (8.314 J/K·mol), T is the absolute temperature in kelvin, and Q is the reaction quotient. This equation may be used to predict the spontaneity of a process under any given set of conditions.
Reaction Quotient...
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What are Biogeochemical Cycles?00:54

What are Biogeochemical Cycles?

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The most common elements in organic molecules, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus, are only available in the ecosystem in limited amounts. Therefore, these nutrients must be recycled through both biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem, in processes generally called biogeochemical cycles.
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources
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Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

Published on: January 22, 2018

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Global nitrogen budget revisited.

Patrick L Brezonik1

  • 1Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)
|June 12, 2025
PubMed
Summary

Bottom sediments are crucial for nitrogen production in both inland and coastal waters. This highlights the ecological significance of sediment processes in aquatic ecosystems.

Area of Science:

  • Environmental Science
  • Aquatic Ecology
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • Nitrogen is a key nutrient in aquatic ecosystems, influencing primary productivity and water quality.
  • Sediments play a complex role in biogeochemical cycles, often acting as sinks or sources of nutrients.
  • Understanding nitrogen cycling in sediments is vital for managing eutrophication and ecosystem health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of bottom sediments in nitrogen production within aquatic environments.
  • To quantify nitrogen production rates in sediments from various inland and coastal water bodies.
  • To assess the contribution of sediment-mediated processes to the overall nitrogen budget of these ecosystems.

Main Methods:

  • Sediment core collection from representative inland and coastal sites.

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Automated, High-resolution Mobile Collection System for the Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of NOx
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Automated, High-resolution Mobile Collection System for the Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of NOx

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Calibrated Passive Sampling - Multi-plot Field Measurements of NH3 Emissions with a Combination of Dynamic Tube Method and Passive Samplers
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Calibrated Passive Sampling - Multi-plot Field Measurements of NH3 Emissions with a Combination of Dynamic Tube Method and Passive Samplers

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Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 14, 2025

Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources
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Workflow Based on the Combination of Isotopic Tracer Experiments to Investigate Microbial Metabolism of Multiple Nutrient Sources

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Automated, High-resolution Mobile Collection System for the Nitrogen Isotopic Analysis of NOx
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Calibrated Passive Sampling - Multi-plot Field Measurements of NH3 Emissions with a Combination of Dynamic Tube Method and Passive Samplers
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  • In situ and laboratory incubations to measure nitrogen production rates.
  • Analysis of sediment properties, including organic matter content and microbial community composition.
  • Stable isotope probing to trace nitrogen transformation pathways.

    • Main Results:

    • Sediments were confirmed as significant sites of nitrogen production across all studied water bodies.
    • Nitrogen production rates varied considerably, influenced by factors such as sediment organic content and redox conditions.
    • Microbial denitrification and anammox were identified as key nitrogen removal pathways occurring in the sediments.
    • Sediment nitrogen production contributes substantially to the nitrogen cycling in these aquatic systems.

    Conclusions:

    • Bottom sediments are a critical, often underestimated, source of nitrogen production in inland and coastal waters.
    • Sediment biogeochemistry is a key driver of nitrogen cycling and influences water quality.
    • Effective management of aquatic ecosystems requires a thorough understanding of sediment-nitrogen interactions.