AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Nitrogen (N) is generally considered to be the most important macro-nutrient limiting primary production in neritic and oceanic regions of the ocean.

Detailed explanation-2: -Nitrogen and P are required to support aquatic plant growth and have been reported as the key limiting nutrients in most aquatic ecosystems.

Detailed explanation-3: -Phosphorus is usually considered the “limiting nutrient” in aquatic ecosystems, meaning that the available quantity of this nutrient controls the pace at which algae and aquatic plants are produced. In appropriate quantities, phosphorus can be used by vegetation and soil microbes for normal growth.

Detailed explanation-4: -Although nitrogen is incredibly abundant in the air we breathe, it is often a limiting nutrient for the growth of living organisms. This is because the particular form of nitrogen found in air-nitrogen gas-cannot be assimilated by most organisms.

Detailed explanation-5: -Unlike carbon or hydrogen, which they can change themselves, they rely on nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria to ‘fix’ the nitrogen for them to use. Thus, nitrogen is limiting nutrient for both natural and agricultural ecosystems.