Falling Nitrogen Levels in “Nitrogen Rich Areas”
According to a recent new study, falling nitrogen levels in ‘nitrogen-rich areas’ can have adverse effects on plants and animals.
According to this study, there is an imbalance in the availability of nitrogen around the world. Where in some places it is abundant, in some places it is lacking.
Nitrogen (N2) is one of the building blocks of life. It is essential for the survival of all plants and animals. Plants grow slowly without nitrogen. Their flowers and fruits are also small.
Nitrogen is also a main component of amino acids and nucleic acids.
When nitrogen content increases in rivers, inland lakes and coastal bodies of water, it can result in eutrophication.
Side effects of eutrophication:
- May cause harmful algal blooms,
- A dead zone may form, and the fish may die.
- The circulation of nitrogen in different forms between the atmosphere, the biosphere and the geosphere is called the nitrogen cycle.
- Bacteria in the soil “fix” atmospheric nitrogen into ammonia. Nitrogen fixation is essential for plant growth.
- Other bacteria convert ammonia into amino acids and proteins. Then the animals eat the plants and thus they consume the protein.
- Nitrogen compounds are returned to the soil through animal waste. The bacteria convert the waste nitrogen back into nitrogen gas, which is then returned to the atmosphere.
Nitrogen (N2)
Nitrogen gas is 78 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere. In its gaseous form, nitrogen is colorless and odorless. It is generally considered to be an inert gas. In liquid form it looks like water.
Source – The Hindu
