Problem 24

Because it is found in nucleic acids and proteins, nitrogen is an important macronutrient. The biggest resource of nitrogen in terrestrial ecosystems is atmospheric nitrogen, which is the diatomic molecule N₂ or dinitrogen. Plants, on the other hand, are unable to utilize this nitrogen because they lack the enzymes required to transform it into biologically usable forms. However, Nitrogen can be "fixed," meaning it can be transformed to ammonia (NH₃) via biological, physical, or chemical methods.