Some normally aerobic bacteria, which include species of the genera Bacillus and Pseudomonas, use nitrate (NO₃^-) as an electron acceptor in place of oxygen if they are kept under anaerobic conditions.Which of the following statements concerning these ecologically important bacteria is false? A) They act as denitrifiers. B) They release nitrogen to the atmosphere as nitrogen gas (N₂). C) Without their conversion of soil nitrogen to atmospheric gas, soil nitrogen would leach into lakes and rivers. D) They convert ammonia (NH₃) to nitrate (NO₃^-), which is available to plants. E) They convert nitrate ions to nitrogen gas (N₂).

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The statement D is false because the process described is nitrification, which is the conversion of ammonia to nitrate, performed by nitrifying bacteria, not by the bacteria described in the question that use nitrate as an electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions to release nitrogen gas.

Some Normally Aerobic Bacteria, Which Include Species of the Genera