All biological organisms require certain nutrients to live. In this activity, learn about nitrogen and use nitrate test strips to investigate some possible fates of nitrogen in soil.

Organization
Soil Science Society of America
Discipline
Life Sciences
Grade Level
9-12
Lesson Area
Soil Chemistry
Soils and Plant Growth
Lesson Type
Activity
Lesson Keywords
Nitrogen
Nitrates
nutrient

Next Generation Science Standards

Grade Discipline Core Idea
9-12 LS2.B: Cycles of matter and energy transfer in ecosystems

Photosynthesis and cellular respiration provide most of the energy for life processes. Only a fraction of matter consumed at the lower level of a food web is transferred up, resulting in fewer organisms at higher levels. At each link in an ecosystem elements are combined in different ways and matter and energy are conserved. Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are key components of the global carbon cycle.