Meaning & use
ammonification
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Meanings
noununcountablebiology
The stage of the nitrogen cycle in which bacteria and fungi break down the nitrogen compounds in dead matter and waste to release ammonia.
Grammar: A mass noun in science; use it without 'a': ammonification occurs in soil.
Patterns
- ammonification of something
- ammonification in soil
Ammonification occurs when bacteria decompose dead plants in the soil.
The teacher drew the stage of ammonification on the nitrogen cycle diagram.
Warm, moist conditions speed up ammonification in compost.
noununcountabletechnical
The general process of producing ammonia or an ammonia compound from organic material.
Grammar: Used more widely in soil science and waste treatment to describe ammonia release.
Patterns
- ammonification rate
Engineers measured the ammonification rate in the waste-treatment tank.
Farmers rely on ammonification to return nitrogen to the ground.
High temperatures can change the speed of ammonification in manure.
Common combinations
- bacterial ammonification
- Bacterial ammonification releases nitrogen from fallen leaves.
- ammonification and nitrification
- Ammonification and nitrification are linked stages of the cycle.
- ammonification in soil
- Ammonification in soil depends on moisture and warmth.
- rate of ammonification
- The rate of ammonification rose after the rain.
- undergo ammonification
- Dead organic matter will undergo ammonification quickly in compost.
Synonyms and how they differ
- decomposition
- Decomposition is the broader breakdown of any dead matter, while ammonification names the specific step that releases ammonia.
- mineralization
- Mineralization is a wider soil-science term for turning organic matter into inorganic nutrients, with ammonification as one example.
- nitrogen fixation
- Nitrogen fixation turns nitrogen gas into usable compounds, whereas ammonification releases ammonia from dead material.
Word family
- ammonia noun
- a colorless gas made of nitrogen and hydrogen with a sharp smell
- ammonify verb
- to produce ammonia from organic matter
- ammonifier noun
- a microorganism that carries out ammonification
- ammonium noun
- the ion formed when ammonia dissolves in water
Commonly confused: ammonification or nitrification?
ammonification vs nitrification
Nitrification is the next step, in which bacteria turn ammonia into nitrites and nitrates; ammonification comes first and makes the ammonia.
Practice
In the nitrogen cycle, which process releases ammonia from dead plants and animal waste?
Choose one answer.
Ammonification is the stage in which decomposers release ammonia from dead matter. Nitrification converts that ammonia onward, and denitrification returns nitrogen to the air.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ammonification”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.