Major Ideas
- Many factors have fostered this unprecedented expansion, its continuation during the past generation would not have been at all possible without a widespread yet generally unappreciated activity: the synthesis of ammonia.
- Compared with carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, nitrogen is only a minor constituent of living matter.
- Three major elements can move readily from their huge natural reservoirs through the food and water people consume to become part of their tissues, nitrogen remains largely locked in the atmosphere.
- Nitrogen is need for DNA and RNA, molecules that store and transfer genetic information. Also required to make proteins, those indispensable messengers, receptors, catalysts and structural components of all plant and animal cells.
- Humans, like other higher animals, cannot synthesize these molecules using the nitrogen found in the air and have to acquire nitrogen compounds from food. No substitute for this intake, because a minimum quantity is needed for proper nutrition.
- Transferring nitrogen from the atmosphere to crops isn't an easy matter.
- Scarcity of usable nitrogen can be blamed on that element's peculiar chemistry.
- Paired nitrogen atoms make up 78% of the atmosphere, yet they're too stable to transform easily into a reactive form that plants can take up.
- The most important nitrogen fixing bacteria are the genus Rhizobium, symbionts that create nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as beans or acacia trees.
- Traditional farmers typically replaced the nitrogen lost or taken up in their harvests by enriching their fields with crop residues or with animal and human wastes.
Summary
Nitrogen is an important element for living matter that require it in order to live. It is needed for proteins, DNA, RNA , indispensable messengers, catalysts, receptors and for structural compounds of all plant and animal cells. Compared to other higher animals, humans cannot synthesize these molecules using the nitrogen that's found in the air and have to acquire nitrogen compounds from food. They are no substitutes for this intake due to the minimum quantity consumed as animals or plant protein is need for proper nutrition. Nitrogen is needed in farms in order for crops to grow, but getting nitrogen from the atmosphere to crops is not an easy matter. Since paired nitrogen atoms make up 78% of the atmosphere, but they are too stable to transform easily into a reactive form that plants can take up. In order to break these bonds of nitrogen fixation is done by certain bacteria, the most important nitrogen fixing bacteria are the Rhizobium, symbionts that are able to create nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as beans or acacia trees. Combination of recycling human and animal wastes along with planting green manures can, in principle provide annually up to around 200 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare of arable land. Massive introduction of reactive nitrogen into soils and waters has many deleterious consequences for the environment. Consequences ranging from local health to global changes and, quite literally, extend from deep underground to high in the stratosphere.
Nitrogen is an important element for living matter that require it in order to live. It is needed for proteins, DNA, RNA , indispensable messengers, catalysts, receptors and for structural compounds of all plant and animal cells. Compared to other higher animals, humans cannot synthesize these molecules using the nitrogen that's found in the air and have to acquire nitrogen compounds from food. They are no substitutes for this intake due to the minimum quantity consumed as animals or plant protein is need for proper nutrition. Nitrogen is needed in farms in order for crops to grow, but getting nitrogen from the atmosphere to crops is not an easy matter. Since paired nitrogen atoms make up 78% of the atmosphere, but they are too stable to transform easily into a reactive form that plants can take up. In order to break these bonds of nitrogen fixation is done by certain bacteria, the most important nitrogen fixing bacteria are the Rhizobium, symbionts that are able to create nodules on the roots of leguminous plants, such as beans or acacia trees. Combination of recycling human and animal wastes along with planting green manures can, in principle provide annually up to around 200 kilograms of nitrogen per hectare of arable land. Massive introduction of reactive nitrogen into soils and waters has many deleterious consequences for the environment. Consequences ranging from local health to global changes and, quite literally, extend from deep underground to high in the stratosphere.
Reflection
Us humans are doing so much harm to the environment like in this article our actions are causing a delay in the natural cycle of the environment. I understand that nitrogen is a very important element for living matter, but too much nitrogen into soils and waters can cause deleterious problems for the environment. Problems that harm our health, global changes, and something that I didn't before reading the article is that high nitrate levels can cause life-threatening methemoglobinemia (a.k.a blue baby disease) in infants, and they have also been linked epidemiologically to some cancers.
Us humans are doing so much harm to the environment like in this article our actions are causing a delay in the natural cycle of the environment. I understand that nitrogen is a very important element for living matter, but too much nitrogen into soils and waters can cause deleterious problems for the environment. Problems that harm our health, global changes, and something that I didn't before reading the article is that high nitrate levels can cause life-threatening methemoglobinemia (a.k.a blue baby disease) in infants, and they have also been linked epidemiologically to some cancers.