How Might Clearing the Forest Affect Nitrogen Cycling?

The nitrogen cycle is an essential process of life as it is helps turn nitrogen into a form that is available to animals and plants. Nitrogen is a necessity of life as it is essential for growth and reproduction for both plants and animals. A key component of the nitrogen cycle is the presence of plants as they help turn inorganic forms of nitrogen, such as ammonia and nitric acid, into organic forms of nitrogen that can then be move up the food chain. Clearing the forest would kill all the plants and trees in that area, ultimately having a major effect on the nitrogen cycle. With no plants, the conversion of inorganic forms of nitrogen to organic forms of nitrogen cannot happen. Instead, bacteria in the soil breakdown the plant available nitrogen into gases in a process known as denitrification. Another negative effect is that plant available nitrogen is very soluble in water, thus if plants aren’t there to take up the nitrogen, then it will be leached away into our rivers, lakes, oceans, and other bodies of water. In conclusion, clearing forests could have some unforeseen devastating effects on the nitrogen cycle and more importantly the environment.