Which of these statements describe the correct path of a nitrogen atom through the nitrogen cycle?

a)
atmosphere, animals, plants, bacteria

b)
air, bacteria, plants, animals

c)
animals, air, bacteria, plants

d)
bacteria, air, animals, plants

The correct path of events that take place in a nitrogen cycle is air, bacteria, plants and animals.

Option B

Explanation:

Nitrogen forms the major proportion of air. The nitrogen in the atmosphere cannot be used as such by plants and animals. Thereby the atmospheric nitrogen is fixed in the soil by means of nitrogen fixing bacteria, these nitrogen fixing bacteria live in the root nodules of leguminous plants.

They maintain a symbiotic relation with plants through which they provide nitrogen to the plants. The animals take this fixed nitrogen from plants.

step 1 ammonium can be absorbed by plants, but some is converted into nitrates which are better for plants to absorb. this is called nitrification. 2. step 2 the deer eats the plants and uses the nitrogen-containing proteins for cell growth. 3. step 3 bacteria in the soil conduct nitrogen fixation to convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonium. 4. step 4 some of the nitrates are absorbed back into plants, but denitrification breaks down the nitrates into nitrogen gas released back into the atmosphere. 5. step 5 nitrogen is found in the urine, which gets broken down into ammonium through the process of ammonification. 6. step 6 plants absorb the ammonium and begin assimilation, the process to add the nitrogen to protein.