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Related Concept Videos

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation01:22

Inorganic Nitrogen Assimilation

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Nitrogen is an essential element in biological systems, forming a crucial component of proteins, nucleic acids, and other cellular constituents. Many bacteria and archaea acquire nitrogen in the form of nitrate (NO₃⁻) or ammonia (NH₃), which are then assimilated into biomolecules through specific enzymatic pathways.Assimilatory Nitrate ReductionWhen nitrate enters the cell, it undergoes a two-step reduction process known as assimilatory nitrate reduction. Initially, the enzyme...
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Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism01:20

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Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of  ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or  nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
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Carbon dioxide fixation in prokaryotes enables the assimilation of inorganic carbon into organic molecules, supporting biosynthetic pathways, sustaining ecosystems, and contributing to the global carbon cycle. It also has industrial applications in carbon capture and bioproduct synthesis. Autotrophic organisms rely on this process to utilize CO₂ as a carbon source in diverse environments.The Calvin CycleThe Calvin cycle is the most widespread carbon fixation mechanism, primarily used by...
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The Nitrogen Cycle01:49

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Nitrogen atoms, present in all proteins and DNA, are recycled between abiotic and biotic components of the ecosystem. However, the primary form of nitrogen on Earth is nitrogen gas, which cannot be used by most animals and plants. Thus, nitrogen gas must first be converted into a usable form by nitrogen-fixing bacteria before it can be cycled through other living organisms. The use of nitrogen-containing fertilizers and animal waste products in human agriculture has greatly influenced the...
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Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
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Like all living organisms, plants require organic and inorganic nutrients to survive, reproduce, grow and maintain homeostasis. To identify nutrients that are essential for plant functioning, researchers have leveraged a technique called hydroponics. In hydroponic culture systems, plants are grown—without soil—in water-based solutions containing nutrients. At least 17 nutrients have been identified as essential elements required by plants. Plants acquire these elements from the...
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Microplot Design and Plant and Soil Sample Preparation for 15Nitrogen Analysis
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Nitrogen Fixation at Early Mars.

Danica Adams1, Yangcheng Luo1, Michael L Wong2,3

  • 1Department of Geological and Planetary Sciences, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA.

Astrobiology
|August 2, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Lightning may have created essential nitrates and cyanides in early Mars

Keywords:
AstrobiologyEarly MarsNitrate.Nitrogen fixation

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Estimating Sediment Denitrification Rates Using Cores and N2O Microsensors
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Area of Science:

  • Planetary Science
  • Astrobiology
  • Geochemistry

Background:

  • Nitrates have been discovered in Gale Crater by the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL).
  • Lightning-induced nitrogen oxides (NOx) are a potential source for ancient nitrate deposition on Mars.
  • Understanding nitrogen fixation in early Mars' atmosphere is crucial for assessing its habitability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate nitrogen fixation in early Mars' atmosphere under various climate conditions.
  • To model the production and rain-out fluxes of nitrogen compounds (HNOx and HCN).
  • To compute equilibrium concentrations of cyanide and nitrate in a putative early Martian ocean.

Main Methods:

  • Coupling lightning-rate parametrization with chemical equilibrium calculations to derive NO and HCN fluxes.
  • Utilizing Geant4 simulations to estimate the impact of solar energetic particle events.
  • Employing the KINETICS code (Caltech/JPL) to model atmospheric chemistry and derive rain-out fluxes.

Main Results:

  • Average oceanic concentrations of approximately 0.1–2 nM nitrate and 0.01–2 mM cyanide were computed.
  • Calculated nitrate concentrations align with MSL measurements of surface nitrate precipitates.
  • HCN concentrations are significant for protein synthesis if secondary concentration mechanisms occurred.

Conclusions:

  • Lightning is a plausible source for atmospheric nitrogen fixation on early Mars.
  • The derived nitrate and cyanide concentrations have astrobiological significance for early Martian life.
  • This study provides valuable data for laboratory experiments investigating early Mars habitability.