The role of microorganisms in the carbon and nitrogen cycles in sufficient detail to illustrate the processes of saprobiotic nutrition, ammonification, nitrification, nitrogen fixation and denitrification. (The names of individual species are not required.)

Saprobiotic micro-organisms are ones which get their nutrition from dead matter. They decompose plants and animals, releasing carbon and nitrogen back into the air and soil, helping to make the movement of these molecules a continuous cycle.

Ammonification- creating ammonium from molecules that contain it; done by saprobiotic micro-organisms

Nitrification- turning ammonium into nitrate; this is done by some bacteria to create energy

Nitrogen fixing- turning nitrogen in the air into ammonium; done by free living bacteria to create amino acids for themselves; done by mutualistic bacteria to create amino acids for plants in return for carbohydrates

Denitrification- carried out by bacteria for energy

Nitrifying-bacteria are aerobic and denitrifying-bacteria are anaerobic, so if soil is water logged there will be a decline in nitrification and an increase in denitrification.