Microbiology and Nitrogen Cycle

A chemoorganotroph is an organism, that obtains energy from the oxidation of reduced organic compounds. The list of compounds from which chemoorganotrophic organisms can generate energy and their sources of carbon is very long, making these microorganisms extremely versatile. Two mechanisms for energy conservation are known for chemoorganotrophs: fermentation and respiration.
So answer is - 'Chemoorganotrophs'.

Denitrification is the biological conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas, nitric oxide or nitrous oxide.  These compounds are gaseous compounds and are not readily available for microbial growth; therefore they are typically released to the atmosphere. Denitrifiers belong to several genera including Pseudomonas,Bacillus, Spirillum, Hyphomicrobium, Propionobacterium, Cornebacterium, Thiobacillus, and Alcaligenes. Biological denitrification is an anaerobic respiration reaction in which nitrate is reduced. Denitrifying bacteria are aerobic autotrophs or heterotrophs that can switch to anaerobic growth when nitrate is used as an electron acceptor.
 So, the answer is option C.

Enzyme nitrogenase, that catalyses nitrogen fixation is oxygen labile. Leguminous plant proteins called leghaemoglobin act as oxygen scavenger facilitating Rhizobium in fixing nitrogen.
So answer is- 'Oxygen removal'.

Azotobacter is a well-known genus of free-living, aerobic, nitrogen-fixing bacteria found in soil.

Gobar gas is mixture of methane (CH$ _4$), carbon dioxide (CO$ _2$), hydrogen (H$ _2$) and hydrogen sulphide (H$ _2$S) with methane as major component (65%). Methanogens are anaerobic, autotrophic, eukaryote that converts carbon dioxide and hydrogen into methane gas. The hydrogen serves as electron donor for reduction of carbon dioxide. Thus, methogens produce gober gas by anerobic fermentation of biomass in presence of water. The chemolithotrophic bacteria that reduce the organic nitrogen into ammonia are termed as ammonifying bacteria. The chemolithotropic bacteria that converts ammonia NH$ _3$ into nitrates, NO$ _3$-, are termed as nitrifying bacteria; it includes Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter. The chemolithotrophic bacteria that reduce the nitrates into nitrogen are termed as denitrifying bacteria. Ammonifying, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria are component of nitrogen cycle and do not serve in gober gas (methane) production. Thus, the correct answer is option A. 

Soil is the rich source of water and organic matter. Decomposition of remains of dead organisms adds organic content to the soil. Weathering of minerals add inorganic fraction of soil. Thus, soil fulfils the nutritional requirement of bacteria with diverse feeding habits and serves as richest source of bacteria. Since, bacteria can live on the surface of soil particles in form of biofilms which can be formed on almost any surface; thus type of soil does not affect the bacterial population. Option B is correct. Poor solubility of oxygen and limited penetration of sun light in water limits the distribution of majority of bacteria in limnetic and profundal zone which makes option C incorrect. Owing to extreme temperatures, chemical contamination, and low nutrient environments, air does not serve as good habitat for bacteria and thus, only thick walled resistant bacteria/bacterial structures like endopores are present in air; option A is incorrect. Despite providing favourable nutritional condition for bacterial growth, temperature variations in milk limit their growth. Option D is incorrect. Thus, the correct answer is option B. 

Bacteria are the component of biological nitrogen fixation which included free living or non-symbiotic soil bacteria. It may be aerobic bacteria (Azotobacter spp), anaerobic bacteria (Clostridium spp), photosynthetic bacteria (Rhodospirillum spp), chemosynthetic bacteria (Thiobacillus spp) and blue-green algae. The finger-like projections on roots of legumes, termed as root nodules, carries Rhizobium bacteria which in turn are responsible for nitrogen fixation; legumes depend on of bacteria for nitrogen fixation. None of the parasitic algae or fungal species can fix nitrogen. Thus, the correct answer is option A.

Azotobacter is a free-living aerobic rod-shaped soil bacteria; it is a member of Gammaproteobacteria and fixes the atmospheric nitrogen into the useable form which makes option A correct. Rhizobium is a Gram-negative, motile, rod-shaped bacteria that forms special nitrogen-fixing organs, called as root nodules, in the roots of legumes and fix the gaseous nitrogen into ammonia. Option B is incorrect. Clostridium is an anaerobic free-living nitrogen fixer which makes option C incorrect. Streptomyces is filamentous free-living aerobic bacterium; S. thremoautotropicus have oxygen insensitive nitrogenase enzyme and ability to fix nitrogen. Since not all the Streptomyces spp can fix nitrogen, options D is incorrect. 

Nitrogen gas is converted to nitrate compounds by nitrogen fixing bacteria in soil or root nodules. The Haber process converts nitrogen gas into ammonia used in fertilizers. Ammonia is converted to nitrates by nitrifying bacteria in the soil. Bacteria of the genus Nitrosomonas oxidize NH$ _3$ to nitrites. Bacteria of the genus Nitrobacter oxidize the nitrites to nitrates. Urea and egested material is broken down by decomposers. This results in nitrogen being returned to the soil as ammonia. Decomposers also break down the bodies of dead organisms resulting in nitrogen being returned to the soil as ammonia. In some conditions denitrifying bacteria in the soil break down nitrates and return nitrogen to the air. Thus, it is summarized that the bacteria play a significant role in nitrogen fixation, nitrification and several other operations in all biogeochemical cycles.

Biofertilizer is any living organism that imparts fertility to soil. Azotobacter is a free living aerobic rod shaped soil bacteria; it is a member of Gamma-proteobacteria and fix the atmospheric inter nitrogen into biologically usable ammonia and hence, serves as biofertilizer. 

Earth’s atmosphere contains 78% nitrogen but it cannot be used by living organisms due to its inert form. This inert nitrogen is fixed into biologically active ammonia by free living or symbiotic bacteria and other microorganisms. The free living bacteria are present in soil where they perform nitrogen fixation; example: Azotobacter, Azospirillum and Clostridium. This makes option B correct. The finger like projections on roots of legumes, termed as root nodules, carries Rhizobium bacteria which in turn are responsible for nitrogen fixation. Legume get ammonia from Rhizobium and provide carbohydrates as an energy source to them; a symbiotic relation. This makes option C incorrect as root nodules harbour symbiotic bacteria. Nitrogen fixation does not occur in air as none of nitrogen fixing microbes are present in air; option A is incorrect. Thus, the correct answer is option B. 

Bacterias like Azotobacter and Azospirillum fix atmospheric Nitrogen while free living in soil, thus enriching Nitrogen content of soil.

Azotobacter is free-living aerobic non-photosynthetic nitrogen fixing bacterium which have wide variety of metabolic abilities, they fix atmospheric nitrogen as they produce nitrogenase enzyme and convert it to ammonia. They are free living in soil and do not associate as symbionts. 

Azospirillum is a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that is commonly associated with the roots of grasses and cereals, including paddy (rice) fields.