1. What do I need to know about the Nitrogen Cycle? Well…lemme tell ya Living things need nitrogen. Why? It’s a chemical that’s part of proteins and of nucleic acids (DNA & RNA). Even though there’s a lot of nitrogen in the air…most living things can’t use it the way it is. Sorta like you can eat popcorn, but…you gotta pop it first.

2. The nitrogen in the atmosphere is called “free nitrogen.”-the unpopped corn. The nitrogen in the air gets changed into “fixed nitrogen.”-the popcorn.

3. What Changes the Nitrogen? Bacteria do this (several types). These bacteria live in the roots of plants, in the soil, and in the water.

4. How Do We…and other animals get the “fixed nitrogen?” Well…there are two ways… 1.We can eat plants 2.We can eat animals that eat plants.

5. How Does the Nitrogen Get Back into the Atmosphere? Bacteria do this too (some different ones)! When organisms go to the bathroom, bacteria break down the wastes. Also, when organisms dies…they decompose. In both cases, bacteria do the work and the nitrogen gets changed again…and back it goes…into the atmosphere. That’s what makes it a CYCLE