Skip to content
Know.itKnow.it
Create an animated lesson
On request

This article is free to read. Creating a lesson uses your daily or stored credits; review the language and settings before starting.

What is the nitrogen cycle?

ScienceLesson on requestFree to read

Quick answer

The nitrogen cycle is how nitrogen moves through the air, soil, and living things. Bacteria convert nitrogen gas into forms plants can use; animals get it by eating plants; and it eventually returns to the air — keeping life supplied with this essential element.

Key things to understand

  1. Nitrogen cycles between air, soil, and organisms.
  2. Bacteria 'fix' nitrogen gas into usable forms.
  3. Plants absorb it; animals get it by eating plants.
  4. Decomposition and other bacteria return it to the air.

People also ask

What is the nitrogen cycle?
The natural movement of nitrogen through the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms.
Why is the nitrogen cycle important?
Nitrogen is essential for proteins and DNA, and the cycle keeps it available to living things.
What is nitrogen fixation?
The process where bacteria convert nitrogen gas into compounds plants can absorb and use.