Nitrification is a microbially mediated aerobic biological process in the nitrogen cycle whereby reduced inorganic nitrogen (primarily ammonium, NH₄⁺) is oxidized to nitrate (NO₃⁻) via nitrite (NO₂⁻). It proceeds in two main steps: ammonia oxidation, conducted by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria and archaea using ammonia monooxygenase and hydroxylamine oxidoreductase, and nitrite oxidation, carried out by nitrite-oxidizing bacteria via nitrite oxidoreductase. Nitrification strongly influences nitrogen availability, soil and aquatic chemistry, and nitrogen losses through leaching and denitrification, and is sensitive to factors such as oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, and substrate availability.
Deep-sea waters are warming due to heat waves and climate change, and it could spell trouble for the oceans' delicate chemical and biological balance. However, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 9, 2026
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A prolonged drought in southeastern Connecticut reduced the stability of microorganisms responsible for a critical step in the nitrogen cycle in a coastal salt marsh, according to research led by a Connecticut College scientist ...
Ecology
Mar 3, 2026
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Ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) are some of the most abundant microorganisms in the ocean and play a key role in nitrogen cycling. Yet, despite their ubiquity, scientists have long puzzled over how these microbes can flourish ...
Earth Sciences
Dec 11, 2025
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A new study has revealed how tiny microbes in rivers and wetlands across China help clean up excess nitrogen pollution, offering fresh insights into the health of freshwater ecosystems and the global nitrogen cycle.
Ecology
Sep 25, 2025
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Laughing gas (nitrous oxide or N₂O) is primarily released by the microorganisms responsible for cleaning our wastewater. These microbes live in complex communities, with each group performing a specific role. Emissions ...
Environment
May 8, 2025
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