The growth of bacteria is determined not only by the composition of their surroundings but also by sudden changes in the living environment. for rapid growth in different environments, bacteria need to adjust their enzyme levels in order to rapidly benefit from the nutrients currently available in their surroundings. if the living environment undergoes rapid changes, the bacterium's own production of proteins has to conform to these changes in an effective way. how are bacteria able to adapt to a rapidly changing environment?

step 1 ammonium can be absorbed by plants, but some is converted into nitrates which are better for plants to absorb. this is called nitrification. 2. step 2 the deer eats the plants and uses the nitrogen-containing proteins for cell growth. 3. step 3 bacteria in the soil conduct nitrogen fixation to convert nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into ammonium. 4. step 4 some of the nitrates are absorbed back into plants, but denitrification breaks down the nitrates into nitrogen gas released back into the atmosphere. 5. step 5 nitrogen is found in the urine, which gets broken down into ammonium through the process of ammonification. 6. step 6 plants absorb the ammonium and begin assimilation, the process to add the nitrogen to protein.