Dead Organisms Contribute Which Element To The Soil?

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Multiple Choice

Dead Organisms Contribute Which Element To The Soil?

Explanation:
Decomposition and nutrient cycling explain why dead organisms enrich soil with nitrogen. When their bodies break down, nitrogen-containing compounds such as proteins and nucleic acids are mineralized into inorganic forms that plants can take up, mainly ammonium and nitrate. This release of nitrogen is a key part of how soils gain a fertilizing nutrient from dead matter, supporting plant growth. Carbon from the same matter mostly becomes humus or is released as CO2, while hydrogen and oxygen cycle through water and organic matter; they are important for overall chemistry, but the specific nutrient most directly added to soil by decomposition is nitrogen.

Decomposition and nutrient cycling explain why dead organisms enrich soil with nitrogen. When their bodies break down, nitrogen-containing compounds such as proteins and nucleic acids are mineralized into inorganic forms that plants can take up, mainly ammonium and nitrate. This release of nitrogen is a key part of how soils gain a fertilizing nutrient from dead matter, supporting plant growth. Carbon from the same matter mostly becomes humus or is released as CO2, while hydrogen and oxygen cycle through water and organic matter; they are important for overall chemistry, but the specific nutrient most directly added to soil by decomposition is nitrogen.

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