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Why do plants and animal and other organisms need nitrogen?
Nitrogen is required by plants and animals for protein synthesis
Describe the nitrogen cycle and explain why it is important for the survival?
The nitrogen cycle is the process by which nitrogen is converted between different chemical forms in the environment. This cycle is crucial because nitrogen is an essential element for the growth of plants and the production of proteins in living organisms. The cycling of nitrogen ensures that it is available in a usable form for plants and other organisms, ultimately contributing to the balance of ecosystems and the overall health of the environment.
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.
How is Nitrogen stored in the biosphere?
Nitrogen is stored in the biosphere primarily in the atmosphere as N2 gas. It is also found in living organisms in proteins and nucleic acids, as well as in the soil in the form of organic matter, ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites. Nitrogen-fixing bacteria play a key role in converting atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be utilized by plants and animals.
What is the only way that animals can obtain nitrogen?
Animals obtain nitrogen primarily through the consumption of plants or other animals that contain nitrogen-containing compounds, such as proteins. They break down these compounds during digestion and reuse the nitrogen to build their own proteins and other essential molecules.
What role do bacteria play the nitrogen cycle?
Although the air is made up of about 70% nitrogen, plants cannot use nitrogen in this N2 form. Nitrogen fixing bacteria change nitrogen into the form of soluble nitrates so that plants can use it. Other bacteria, known as de-nitrifying bacteria, change nitrates back into N2, which completes the nitrogen cycleThey fix nitrogen into forms usable by plants.
Why legiminous plants have root nodules?
Leguminous plants have root nodules because they form a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, usually of the genus Rhizobium, that reside within these nodules. The bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that the plant can use for growth, providing the plant with a vital source of nitrogen while the bacteria receive nutrients from the plant.
What is nitrogen fixation primarily carried out by?
Nitrogen-fixating prokaryotes (such as bacteria) present in the roots of legumes and some other plants take N2 from the air and convert it to nitrogen compounds usable by plants. Nitrogen fixing bacteria (diazotrophs).
Where are nitrogen fixing bacteria found and how do these bacteria benefit plants?
Legumes have nitrifying bacteria in their roots, but mostly it is found in the soil. Although the air is made up of about 78% nitrogen, plants cannot use nitrogen in this N2 form. Nitrogen fixing bacteria change nitrogen into the form of soluble nitrates so that plants can use it. Other bacteria, known as de-nitrifying bacteria, change nitrates back into N2, which completes the nitrogen cycle
Why are nitrogen fixing bacteria important?
Although the air is made up of about 80% nitrogen, plants cannot use nitrogen in this N2 form. Nitrogen fixing bacteria change nitrogen into the form of soluble nitrates so that plants can use it. Other bacteria, known as de-nitrifying bacteria, change nitrates back into N2, which completes the nitrogen cycle
Other than bacteria which factor leads to nitrogen fixation?
Other than bacteria, certain plants known as legumes (e.g. soybeans, clover) have a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia bacteria that carry out nitrogen fixation in their root nodules. This allows these plants to convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that can be used by other organisms.
Which bacteria live in soil and fix nitrogen as part of the nitrogen cycle?
Leguminous plants contain symbiotic bacteria called Rhizobia within nodules root systems, producing nitrogen compounds that help the plant to grow and compete with other plants. When the plant dies, the fixed nitrogen is released, making it available to other plants and this helps to fertilise the soil.
What organisms are responsible for keeping the nitrogen cycle flowing?
Various bacteria are responsible for carrying out key processes in the nitrogen cycle. For example, nitrogen-fixing bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form usable by plants. Other bacteria, like nitrifying bacteria, convert ammonium into nitrates, which can then be used by plants. Denitrifying bacteria convert nitrates back into atmospheric nitrogen, closing the cycle.
Why are nitrogen-fixing bacteria important to plants?
nitrogen fixing bacteria fix or attach atmospheric nitrogen in soil or make it easily avialable to the plants as plants need nitrogen as one of their macronutrient element for their growth.
Why are nitrogen fixing bacteria so important to other organisms?
Nitrogen fixing bacteria are important because they convert atmospheric nitrogen into a usable form (ammonia) that plants can absorb and incorporate into their tissues. This process is essential for the growth and development of plants, which serve as the base of the food chain, ultimately supporting all other organisms that rely on plants for energy and nutrients.
What kind of organisms can remove nitrogen from the atmosphere?
Certain types of bacteria, known as nitrogen-fixing bacteria, have the ability to convert atmospheric nitrogen gas (N2) into a form that can be used by plants and other organisms. These bacteria form symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants, such as peas and beans, and help them to absorb nitrogen from the air.
What is a nitrogen-fixing bacteria?
Although the air is made up of about 70% nitrogen, plants cannot use nitrogen in this N2 form. Nitrogen fixing bacteria change nitrogen into the form of soluble nitrates so that plants can use it. Other bacteria, known as de-nitrifying bacteria, change nitrates back into N2, which completes the nitrogen cycle Updated by: Levi Levitt
