1. Ecology Day 5
The Nitrogen Cycle

2. Date
Warm up:
Nitrogen Cycle
EQ: How does Nitrogen cycle throughout the earth?
(tape handout here)
Summary 36 37

3. Warm up top of page 36: Where does most of nitrogen fixation occur in this picture?

4. The Nitrogen Cycle How much of the Atmosphere is nitrogen?
Nitrogen is the most abundant element in the atmosphere. 78% = N2
Why is nitrogen important to humans?
Nitrogen is a critical component of amino acids and nucleotides that we use to make:
Proteins
Nucleic Acids (DNA & RNA)

5. How does Nitrogen cycle?
Nitrogen is in the atmosphere as N 2 Gas. Organisms cannot use it as a gas it must be fixed into ammonium (NH4) or nitrate (NO3).
Nitrogen Fixation
How does nitrogen fixation occur?
1. A small amount of nitrogen is fixed by lightning in the atmosphere.
2. Bacteria in the soil or in the roots of plants (legumes) convert nitrogen gas (N2) into ammonia (NH3)

7. Where does much of the nitrogen cycle occur?
Much of the nitrogen cycle occurs underground

8. Nitrogen Fixing Bacteria

9. Today’s Assignment
Today you will be the game piece in an activity similar to yesterday’s activity
You will move from station-to-station according to the number roll on the di; each station represents a reservoir for nitrogen
When you get to the first station, glue a stamp to your passport and then roll the di
write in the explanation from that poster for the di roll #
Go to the station that is assigned to that number according to the poster you are at and glue your stamp
There will be staggered starts today
We will number off 1-11

10. Continued
Once all students have their number you will go to the assigned poster
Posters are in alphabetical order and numbered
#1 starts by the entrance door (animal waste)
#11 is by the fire alarm (surface water)
There will be 8 rounds
Once you have all 8 passport stickers go back to your seat and work on your Cornell notes

11. Let’s Start! Go to your assigned area #1’s what is your poster?
#2? #3? #4? #5? #6? #7? #8? #9? #10? #11?
Now, glue the stamp from that reservoir to your start square
Now roll the di and write the # next to trip#1
Look at the poster and find how you are turned into another form of nitrogen and write it on the “how I travelled” section
Go to the reservoir your dice roll indicated

12. Conclusion How many stops can you make on your trip?
Will your journey ever end?
Was everyone’s journey the same? Why not?
What would happen if a farmer used too much fertilizer?
What would happen if we burnt too many fossil fuels?
Livestock farming creates a large amount of animal waste. How would this affect the nitrogen cycle?
What would happen if a farmer used too much fertilizer? (In this game, that would mean that everyone starts from the fertilizer station at the same time.)

13. Homework
For your conclusion, write about the journey of your Nitrogen molecule
Describe where you went and how you got there