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Nitrogen returns from living tissue to the air in three bacterial steps on land. In what order do they run?
ANitrification, ammonification, denitrification
BAmmonification, nitrification, denitrification
CDenitrification, nitrification, ammonification
DAmmonification, denitrification, nitrification
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Ammonification, nitrification, denitrification
1. Ammonification comes first, turning waste and dead tissue into ammonium.
2. Nitrification comes second, oxidizing that ammonium first to nitrites and then to nitrates.
3. Denitrification comes last, converting nitrates back into nitrogen gas.
4. Only then has the nitrogen returned to the atmosphere where it started.
5. Putting nitrification first would need nitrates before anything had made ammonium.
_Source: OpenStax Biology 1e (CC BY 4.0), Chs 44 and 46, section 46.3 Biogeochemical Cycles_
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