AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -A wide range of soil fungi and bacteria, called the decomposers, carry out the ammonification process. The decomposers consume the organic matter, and the nitrogen contained in the dead organism is converted to ammonium ions. The ammonium is then converted to nitrates by the nitrifying bacteria.

Detailed explanation-2: -Ammonification. When an organism excretes waste or dies, the nitrogen in its tissues is in the form of organic nitrogen (e.g. amino acids, DNA). Various fungi and prokaryotes then decompose the tissue and release inorganic nitrogen back into the ecosystem as ammonia in the process known as ammonification.

Detailed explanation-3: -In marine ecology, ammonification is also referred to as ammonium regeneration and ammonium recycling. The term “nitrate ammonification” is sometimes used to refer to the dissimilatory reduction of nitrate to ammonium (e.g., Rysgaard et al., 1996).

Detailed explanation-4: -Ammonification converts organic nitrogenous matter from living organisms into ammonium (NH4+). Denitrification by bacteria converts nitrates (NO3−) to nitrogen gas (N2).

Detailed explanation-5: -In simple terms, ammonification is the process of converting natural nitrogen compounds into ammonia.