The nitrogen cycle describes the processes through which nitrogen is converted between its various chemical forms. These transformations involve both biological and abiotic redox processes. The principal processes involved in the nitrogen cycle are nitrogen fixation, nitrification, nitrate assimilation, respiratory reduction of nitrate to ammonia, anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) and denitrification. All of these are carried out by micro-organisms, including bacteria, archaea and some specialized fungi. In the present article, we provide a brief introduction to both the biochemical and ecological aspects of these processes and consider how human activity over the last 100 years has changed the historic balance of the global nitrogen cycle.
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February 2011
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Conference Article|
January 19 2011
Enzymology and ecology of the nitrogen cycle
Rosa María Martínez-Espinosa;
Rosa María Martínez-Espinosa
1
*Department of Agricultural Chemistry and Biochemistry, Science Faculty Phase II, University of Alicante. 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
1To whom correspondence should be addressed (email rosa.martinez@ua.es).
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Jeffrey A. Cole;
Jeffrey A. Cole
†School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, U.K.
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David J. Richardson;
David J. Richardson
‡Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, U.K.
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Nicholas J. Watmough
Nicholas J. Watmough
‡Centre for Molecular and Structural Biochemistry, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7TJ, U.K.
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Publisher: Portland Press Ltd
Received:
November 19 2010
Online ISSN: 1470-8752
Print ISSN: 0300-5127
© The Authors Journal compilation © 2011 Biochemical Society
2011
Biochem Soc Trans (2011) 39 (1): 175–178.
Article history
Received:
November 19 2010
Citation
Rosa María Martínez-Espinosa, Jeffrey A. Cole, David J. Richardson, Nicholas J. Watmough; Enzymology and ecology of the nitrogen cycle. Biochem Soc Trans 1 February 2011; 39 (1): 175–178. doi: https://doi.org/10.1042/BST0390175
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