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Why does earth need nitrogen?

Updated: 8/10/2023
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16y ago

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Nitrogen generators can be used for a variety of purposes. While not really meant for commercial use, nitrogen can be used to fill tires in cars and planes, preserve packaged food freshness, and are helpful for use in electric components.

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Nitrogen is a component of many biological molecules including proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and carbohydrates. Nitrogen is so important that a shortage of nitrogen will inhibit the growth of an organism. For example, farmers use nitrogen-based fertilizers to get the most growth from their crops. Nitrogen in its elemental form is inert in a human body. But it is a major component of proteins (amino acids) and nucleic acids which constitute life. Hence the elemental nitrogen in its compound form is important for sutaining life!

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The Earth may not need Nitrogen but life on Earth certainly does. Nitrogen is one of the essential elements composing life as we know it.

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Q: Why does earth need nitrogen?
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How is Nitrogen stored in the biosphere?

The largest store of nitrogen is atmosphere, where it exists as nitrogen gas. Other major stores of nitrogen includes oceans and organic matter in soil.


Why do plants and animal and other organisms need nitrogen?

Nitrogen is required by plants and animals for protein synthesis


What is the origin of nitrogen in biological tissue?

The earths air is not made up of only oxygen. it is actually about 75% Nitrogen, and only about 12% oxygen. In fact, nitrogen is the most common element on earth. so every time you breathe, or eat or sweat, your body absorbs nitrogen. Also, you cannot really talk of Nitrogen having an 'origin', as it is constantly involved in a CYCLE. Check out this diagram of The Nitrogen Cycle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nitrogen_Cycle.jpg


What is the form of most of the nitrogen in the world?

Nitrogen is present as amino acids in plants which is an important factor for growth. It is formed when lightening strikes and a chemical reaction is produced and the nitrogen produced is adsorbed by the plants. Example of an amino acid - Nitrobactor.Nitrogen also occurs as the following in air:-Nitrogen oxideNitrous oxideNitrogen dioxideNitratesNitrogen is mixed with hydrogen to form ammonia which is a fertiliser.


How do herbivores obtain the nitrogen they need?

Herbivores obtain nitrogen just like any other animal - through the air, which is mostly composed of nitrogen. However, organic nitrogen that can be used in proteins is only found in autotrophs. Through the nitrogen cycle, atmospheric nitrogen is fixed as organic nitrogen which is assimilated by plants. Herbivores, like omnivores and carnivores, get their nitrogen from food. The trick is getting the nitrogen "fixed" into the food in the first place. About 80% of earth's atmosphere is nitrogen, but atmospheric nitrogen is very nearly inert (the triple bond between the nitrogen atoms is difficult to break). It does not readily engage in chemical reactions, so plants and animals cannot get their nitrogen by breathing. Oxygen, on the other hand, reacts easily, so you'll find that you can get the oxygen you need directly from the atmosphere. Plants extract carbon directly from the atmosphere--from carbon dioxide and photosynthesis. That carbon, plus water and some other ingredients, produce the carbohydrates and other nutrients we get from plants. But like us, plants can't capture atmospheric nitrogen. They have to get the nitrogen they need for proteins & DNA from another source. So how does nitrogen get fixed into plants? Primarily via nitrogen compounds in the soil. There is a bit of nitrogen in any soil, thanks to decaying plants & animals and the activity of certain types of bacteria. But if you farm the soil intensively, you can quickly exhaust the naturally occurring nitrogen. One way to build up the nitrogen in soil is to exploit a symbiotic relationship between certain types of bacteria and a few types of plants. Bacteria that grow on the roots of some bean plants convert atmospheric nitrogen into compounds that stay in the soil. This is the phenomenon behind crop rotation with soy beans--you let the bacteria on the soy bean's root replenish the nitrogen in the soil. Then crops you grow in that soil pass that nitrogen through the food chain. For example, an herbivore might eat the crop directly, or a carnivore could eat the flesh of an herbivore that ate the crop that grew in the field that once grew soy beans that hosted nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Another way to get the nitrogen into the soil is via animal waste. Manure contains a good deal of fixed nitrogen. Hence the smell that bothers city folk when they visit farm country. Today, a good deal of the nitrogen in crops comes from manufactured fertilizer. The Haber-Bosch chemical process, developed about a hundred years ago, draws nitrogen from the air and fixes it in forms that can be used for fertilizer (or explosives.) About half of the nitrogen in your body came from the atmosphere via the Haber-Bosch process. (See "The Alchemy of Air" by Thomas Hager, 2008, for more on the history of Haber-Bosch.) Without Haber-Bosch, a couple billion of us humans would not be alive.

Related questions

Why do you need nitrogen on earth?

Nitrogen is essential for all living organisms because it is a key component of proteins, which are needed for growth, tissue repair, and reproduction. It also plays a vital role in the nitrogen cycle, where it cycles through the atmosphere, soil, and living organisms, helping to maintain balance in ecosystems. Additionally, nitrogen is used in various industrial processes and products, such as fertilizers, explosives, and pharmaceuticals.


How do you get nitrogen on earth?

Nitrogen is fixed


Where is most of the nitrogen on earth found?

78% of the air in Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen. Also, all plants have nitrogen.


Do you need nitrogen to survive?

Humans do not need nitrogen gas to live, but the nitrogen atom is essential in the DNA molecule that stores human, and other animal and plant, genetic information.


Is nitrogen the main part of earth's atmosphere?

Yes, Earth's atmosphere is about 78% nitrogen.


Is most of the earth's atmosphere nitrogen?

Yes, around 78% of Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen. Oxygen makes up about 21%, while the remaining 1% consists of various gases like argon, carbon dioxide, and trace amounts of others.


What is the most abundent element in the earth's atmosphere?

Nitrogen is!


How does the nitrogen found in Earth's atmosphere differ from the nitrogen on Pluto's surface?

The nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere is primarily in its gaseous form (N2), while on Pluto's surface, nitrogen exists as solid ice due to the frigid temperatures. Additionally, the nitrogen on Pluto's surface is found in combination with other volatile ices, such as methane and carbon monoxide, forming a frost-like layer.


How much nitrogen is there in the air in a percentage?

Nitrogen makes up approximately 78% of Earth's atmosphere.


How does nitrogen get in the earths atmosphere?

Nitrogen gets into the earth's atmosphere through the nitrogen cycle.


What is the present of the earth nitrogen?

about 70 percent of the atmosphere is nitrogen


Why nitrogen form compounds with alkaline earth metal's?

why nitrogen form compound with alkaline earth metal