The nitrogen cycle describes how nitrogen moves between the atmosphere, soil, water, and living organisms. Though nitrogen is abundant in the air, mos
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Why cannot plants use atmospheric nitrogen directly?
The N2 triple bond is extremely strong and requires massive energy to break. Most organisms lack the enzymes to accomplish this. Only specialized bacteria with the nitrogenase enzyme can fix nitrogen.
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How do lightning fix nitrogen?
Lightning provides extreme heat and energy that breaks the N2 triple bond. This creates nitrogen oxides that dissolve in rain and fall to the soil as nitrate, entering the nitrogen cycle.
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What happens in poorly drained soil where denitrification occurs?
Waterlogged conditions force denitrifying bacteria to use nitrate as an electron acceptor since oxygen is unavailable. This produces nitrogen gas that escapes to the atmosphere, and soil loses nitrogen content.
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