Help with the Nitrogen Cycle?

(Original post by Konanabanana)
Most people find it hard because they don't know where to start, well it is a cycle so you can start anywhere. I always used to start with nitrogen in the air. This is the most abundant gas so makes it easy to start here.

Bacteria in the soil and plant roots are known as nitrogen fixing bacteria, they fixate nitrogen gas and turn it into something else. These bacteria are commonly known as Rhizobacteria. They turn nitrogen gas into ammonium which is kept in the soil in which plants absorb as a source of nutrients. If the plants did not absorb it then a new type of bacteria arrive, known as nitrifying bacteria which convert it into nitrates. Nitrates are also absorbed by plants. If these nitrates are not absorbed by plants then denitrifying bacteria convert it back into nitrogen gas. That is the first cycle. The seccond part is once the plants have this nitrogen in the form of ammonium or nitrates then primary consumers eat the plants and it gets transfered to them. Once the animals and plants die, decomposers break it all down into simple compounds and ammonium which then gets converted into nitrogen via nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria.


This is from the top of my head, ive not dont this in like almost 3 years but i just remembered this in 2 stages, stage 1 in without th death part stage 2 witht eh death. In reality there areno stages but i break it up to make it easier to understand and remember.