AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nitrogen in its gaseous form (N2) can’t be used by most living things. (Plants for example, do not have the required enzymes to make use of atmospheric nitrogen.) It has to be converted or ‘fixed’ to a more usable form through a process called fixation.

Detailed explanation-2: -Nitrogen is important to all living things, including us. It plays a key role in plant growth: too little nitrogen and plants cannot thrive, leading to low crop yields; but too much nitrogen can be toxic to plants [1]. Nitrogen is necessary for our food supply, but excess nitrogen can harm the environment.

Detailed explanation-3: -It aids in the formation of amino acids and nucleic acids. It is the most abundant element on Earth. Its oxides can lead to the formation of acid rain. It aids in the formation of ozone.

Detailed explanation-4: -Nitrogen is converted from atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into usable forms, such as NO2-, in a process known as fixation. The majority of nitrogen is fixed by bacteria, most of which are symbiotic with plants. Recently fixed ammonia is then converted to biologically useful forms by specialized bacteria.

Detailed explanation-5: -This picture shows how nitrogen moves between living and non-living parts of our planet. Nitrogen is a part of living things like plants and animals. Nitrogen is also a part of non-living things like the air above and the dirt below.