Denitrifying Bacteria

denitrifying bacteria, microorganisms whose action results in the conversion of nitrates in soil to free atmospheric nitrogen, thus depleting soil fertility and reducing agricultural productivity. Thiobacillus denitrificans, Micrococcus denitrificans, and some species of Serratia, Pseudomonas, and Achromobacter are implicated as denitrifiers. Pseudomonas aeruginosa can, under anaerobic conditions (as in swampy or water-logged soils), reduce the amount of fixed nitrogen (as fertilizer) by up to 50 percent. Without denitrification, however, the Earth’s supply of nitrogen would eventually accumulate in the oceans, since nitrates are highly soluble and are continuously leached from the soil into nearby bodies of water. See also nitrogen cycle.