Question

The process of conversion of ammonia into nitrates is called:
A. Ammonification
B. Nitrification
C. Photosynthesis
D. Respiration

Answer 1

Hint: The production of ammonia is ammonification but the production of nitrates is nitrification. The process of nitrification takes place with the help of nitrifying bacteria, Nitrococcus, and Nitrosomonas.

Step by step answer:Nitrifying bacteria present in the soil that help to convert ammonia into nitrite. Then the nitrite is converted into nitrate by some other bacteria. This process is known as Nitrification. Nitrification is the most important process in the nitrogen cycle. Ammonia formed by the
process of ammonification. The ammonia then gets oxidized and form nitrite and then
converted to nitrate by the process of nitrification. Nitrifying bacteria like Nitrosomonas help to convert ammonia to nitrite and another bacterium known as Nitrobacter help to convert nitrite to nitrate.
Photosynthesis is the process of developing food in presence of sunlight by the plants. The
water absorbed from the soil and the carbon dioxide absorbed from the air help to develop
glucose as a food material. Oxygen is generated in this process as a by-product. This process
takes place in the thylakoid of the chloroplast.
Respiration is the process by which metabolism of glucose takes place to derive energy. The first
phase of metabolism i.e. glycolysis takes place in the cytoplasm. The next two steps i.e. Krebs
cycle and electron transport chain takes place in the mitochondria of a cell.
Hence, the correct answer is option B. Nitrification.

Note: Nitrogen fixation is an essential process to the living organisms because fixed inorganic nitrogen compounds are compulsory for the biogenesis of all nitrogen-containing organic compounds, such as amino acids and proteins, nucleoside triphosphates, and nucleic acids. This nitrogen-containing
compounds only help to survive the animals because nitrogen cannot be taken by the animals from the
air directly. The plants only take nitrogen and store it in the food, which is taken by the animals for
survival.